In court today
• More witnesses take the stand: William Fastow spent much of the morning testifying at Brian Walshe’s murder trial about his intimate relationship with Ana Walshe. Other witnesses have followed, some testifying about their interactions with Ana before she went missing, and others about digital forensic evidence.
• The case: Brian Walshe, who denies killing his wife, pleaded guilty last month to misleading police and improper conveyance of a human body. Ana Walshe’s body has not been found.
• Testimony: Yesterday, record keepers from Uber and Lyft testified that Ana Walshe did not take a rideshare to the airport on January 1. Earlier this week, prosecutors walked the jury through data extracted from Brian Walshe’s laptop, including evidence of graphic Google searches, such as “best way to dispose of a body.”
Court is back in session
The jury is back in the courtroom and Massachusetts State Police Trooper Connor Keefe is back on the stand.
Keefe has been testifying for the prosecution about Verizon records for Ana Walshe’s phone.
Before the lunch break, Keefe testified Ana Walshe’s cell phone last pinged in Cohasset, Massachusetts, in the area of the Walshe family home on January 2, 2023, at 3:14 a.m. ET.
Ana Walshe’s phone interacted again with the Verizon network at January 2, 2023, at 4:13 a.m. ET, though it didn’t register a location, Keefe’s testimony indicated.
The last time there was any activity on Ana Walshe’s phone with the Verizon network was on January 4, 2023, at 4:14 a.m. ET, according to Keefe.
This post has been updated with additional information on Ana Walshe’s cell phone.
Key moments from this morning's testimony in the Brian Walshe murder trial
We’ve heard from a number of witnesses in the Brian Walshe murder trial today.
Here are key moments from the testimony we heard this morning:
- Jurors hear from man who had an affair with Ana Walshe: Much of the morning was spent hearing the testimony of William Fastow, the man with whom Ana Walshe had an affair. He testified about the last days he spent with Ana Walshe and the nature of their relationship. Fastow acknowledged both he and Ana Walshe talked about the impact their affair would have on their families and he knew there was a possibility that she would stay with Brian Walshe. The jury heard a voicemail from Brian Walshe left for Fastow on January 4, 2023, asking Fastow if he had seen his wife. Fastow confirmed he hasn’t seen Ana Walshe since December 25, 2022.
- Witnesses describe last interactions with Ana Walshe: Suzanne Garland, the owner of Bar Method studio in Massachusetts said Ana Walshe attended a barre class early on New Year’s Eve 2022. Ashley Cimmino was the barre instructor at the class Ana Walshe took on the last day she was seen alive. Cimmino said she spoke to Ana Walshe about seeing her again soon at classes. Janet Cotter said she and Ana Walshe sat next to each other while getting pedicures at a nail salon in Massachusetts on December 31, 2022. According to Cotter, Ana Walshe said she was looking forward to a special dinner with her husband on New Year’s Day.
- Witnesses describe digital evidence: Sandra Hempel-Waldroup, the general manager and head of maintenance at an Abington, Massachusetts, apartment complex discussed security footage captured on January 3, 2023. That footage shows a Volvo SUV pull up to the dumpsters on the property. A man appears to carry a black garbage bag to the dumpsters. The prosecution is currently questioning Massachusetts State Trooper Connor Keefe, who indicated Ana Walshe’s phone last pinged in the area of the Walshe family home on January 2, 2023, at 3:14 a.m. ET.
A look at who has taken the stand so far today
The jury heard from a flurry of witnesses this morning in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, including the man his wife, Ana Walshe, was having an affair with in Washington, DC.
Here’s who took the stand:
- William Fastow, a real estate estate broker and the man who Ana Walshe was in a romantic relationship with.
- Christopher Murphy, who said he cold-called Brian Walshe with a promotional offer on painting services in January 2023.
- Suzanne Garland, who owns a “Bar Method” studio in Massachusetts that Ana attended.
- Ashley Cimmino, a special education teacher and Bar Method instructor.
- Janet Cotter, who said he contacted local police in January 2023 after seeing news coverage about Ana Walshe. They sat next to each other while getting pedicures at a nail salon in Massachusetts on December 31, 2022.
- Julie Basler, who worked at a KinderCare daycare when the Walshe’s sons attended the facility in the fall of 2022.
- Sandra Hempel-Waldroup, the general manager and head of maintenance at the Claremont apartment complex in Abington, Massachusetts.
- Connor Keefe, a Massachusetts State Police trooper who analyzed Verizon records for Ana Walshe’s phone in an effort to locate it.
Court adjourns for lunch break
Court has adjourned for a lunch break.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Connor Keefe will continue testifying on direct examination after the break around 2 p.m. ET.
State trooper testifying about efforts to locate Ana Walshe's cell phone
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Connor Keefe is the next witness for the prosecution. He’s assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Keefe joined the investigation into the disappearance of Ana Walshe on January 5, 2023. He was asked to analyze Verizon records for Ana’s phone that day. He used Verizon data for Ana’s cell phone in an effort to locate it.
Keefe’s testimony indicated Ana Walshe’s cell phone last pinged in Cohasset, Massachusetts, in the area of the Walshe family home on January 2, 2023, at 3:14 a.m. ET.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Witness Sandra Hempel-Waldroup testifies about January 3, 2023, security camera footage
The next witness, Sandra Hempel-Waldroup, the general manager and head of maintenance at the Claremont apartment complex in Abington, Massachusetts, testified about security footage from January 3, 2023.
There are four security cameras on the exterior of the property, she said. There are three dumpsters on the property. It’s located next to an elderly living facility.
Prosecutor Greg Connor submitted security camera footage from The Claremont into evidence.
The jury viewed security camera footage from the apartment complex on January 3, 2023, that shows a Volvo SUV pull up to the dumpsters on the property. A man appears to carry a black garbage bag to the dumpsters.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Larry Tipton asked the property manager to confirm that nowhere on the dumpsters or the property’s website does it list when trash is scheduled to be picked up.
Based on the typical collection schedule, the trash on that day, January 3, 2023, would’ve been picked up the following day, prosecutor Greg Connor confirmed with Hempel-Waldroup on redirect examination.
Basler says she saw Brian Walshe drop off sons to daycare on January 3 and 4, 2023
Julie Basler would regularly make small talk with Brian Walshe, she testified.
At some point, Brian Walshe mentioned that he might be pulling the boys from the facility to move to Washington, DC but the timing had not been set, Basler said.
Basler testified she saw Brian Walshe bring his children to the daycare on two days in January 2023, around the time of Ana Walshe’s disappearance — on January 3 and 4.
She and Brian Walshe exchanged brief greetings, Basler testified. She said Brian Walshe seemed rushed and it was different than their usual interactions.
Prosecution is now questioning witness Julie Basler
The next witness is Julie Basler. She worked at a KinderCare daycare when the Walshe’s sons attended the facility in the fall of 2022.
Brian Walshe or his mother would drop off the kids at daycare each day, Basler said. Brian Walshe also picked up his sons.
Basler recalled seeing Ana Walshe picking up her sons on three or four occasions, usually on a Friday afternoon.
Prosecutors questioned witness Janet Cotter
The next witness was Janet Cotter.
Cotter contacted local police in January 2023 after seeing news coverage about Ana Walshe, she said. Cotter and Ana Walshe sat next to each other while getting pedicures at a nail salon in Massachusetts on December 31, 2022. They spoke for about 15 minutes that day, Cotter said.
Ana Walshe was very warm and told Cotter she was entertaining for dinner at her home that night for New Year’s Eve.
According to Cotter, Walshe said she was looking forward to a special dinner with her husband on New Year’s Day.
Cotter also remembered Ana Walshe mentioned her job in Washington, DC, and said her husband was helpful with their three sons.
The defense did not question Cotter. She is off the stand.
Defense questions Cimmino about Ana Walshe's physical fitness
On cross examination Kelli Porges confirmed that Ashley Cimmino’s description of Ana Walshe’s physical fitness was not based on any medical information she had of her.
Cimmino also confirmed she wasn’t aware of any undiagnosed pulmonary, cardiac or neurological conditions Ana Walshe might’ve had.
Cimmino is off the stand.
Prosecutor questions next witness, Ashley Cimmino
Ashley Cimmino, special education teacher and Bar Method instructor, is now on the stand.
She first met Ana Walshe around 2011 before Walshe was married, when Cimmino was her instructor at a Bar Method location in Boston.
Cimmino recalled meeting Brian Walshe on occasion over the years when he went to class with his wife.
Cimmino was the barre instructor at the Bar Method class Ana Walshe took on the last day she was seen alive.
They hadn’t seen each other in years when they connected at the class. They had an “Oh my god” moment when they saw each other in the class, Cimmino recalled. They spoke briefly after the class.
Cimmino described Ana Walshe as “a powerhouse” in class. “She was someone you wanted to take class with because she made you work harder,” Cimmino said.
Cimmino said she spoke to Ana Walshe about seeing her again soon at classes.
Ana Walshe attended fitness class on New Year's Eve morning
Ana Walshe was an unlimited member at the studio Suzanne Garland owns before Walshe relocated to Washington, DC.
She still went to Bar Method classes whenever she was in Massachusetts, Garland said.
At that point she didn’t have a regular unlimited membership and paid for “drop in” classes.
On December 30, 2022, Ana Walshe emailed Garland to sign up for a special unlimited membership for the month of January because she planned to be in Massachusetts more than usual.
Ana Walshe went to a Bar Method class on the morning of December 31, 2022, studio records confirm.
Defense attorney Kelli Porges briefly questioned Garland on cross examination.
Garland testified that studio goers sign a medical waiver saying they’re physically fit to participate in the workouts when they sign a membership contract.
Walshe last signed a contract with that waiver self-reporting she was physically fit for class in September 2021, Garland recalled.
Garland is off the stand.
Prosecutors call next witnesses to stand
Prosecutors called their next witness Christopher Murphy and briefly questioned him.
Murphy said he cold-called Brian Walshe with a promotional offer on painting services in January 2023.
He couldn’t remember when exactly he called Brian Walshe but it was early in January 2023. At the time, Walshe said he didn’t need any painting services.
After Murphy called Brian Walshe one time, he responded to him in a text message. Brian Walshe sent photos to Murphy of a ceiling that needed repair. He said, “Good morning, let me know about the ceiling.”
A section of ceiling plaster had broken off in Walshe’s bedroom in the family’s Cohasset, Massachusetts, rental home.
The jury saw a photo of the damage earlier at trial.
Murphy testified that he and Walshe never had any other conversations about the ceiling beyond those text messages.
Murphy is now off the stand and the prosecution has called Suzanne Garland, who owns a Bar Method studio in Massachusetts, to testify.
Fastow confirms that he and Ana Walshe discussed the impact affair would have on their families
William Fastow confirmed that it would devastate Ana Walshe’s husband if he found out about their affair.
Fastow also acknowledged that he and Ana Walshe had never had extensive concrete conversations about being together and a timeframe of when that would happen.
Fastow also acknowledged that he told Ana Walshe that his own son would be devastated if he started bringing another woman around.
Defense attorney Kelli Porges read a text message Fastow sent Ana Walshe on December 29, 2022.
“He can’t imagine me with someone else. Like all children of separated parents he deeply wants us to reconcile. Introducing him to someone else would destroy that fantasy. It would crush him.”
Fastow also acknowledged that while they were dating, he knew there was always a possibility Ana Walshe would stay with her husband.
“While she would talk about arguments they had about finances or the stress of his federal case, she always spoke to you about him in a positive light?” Porges asked.
“Yes,” Fastow said.
“And you knew from her, from her words, that she cared for him deeply.” Porges followed up.
“Very much so,” Fastow said.
Fastow is off the stand.
The commonwealth declined to question him on redirect examination.
Court is back in session
Court is back in session and defense attorney Kelli Porges continues to cross examine William Fastow.
Court has adjourned for morning break
The trial has adjourned for a mid-morning break.
Cross examination of William Fastow will resume after the break.
The defense questions Fastow on cross examination
Defense attorney Kelli Porges has begun her cross examination of William Fastow.
Porges took steps to confirm with Fastow that Ana Walshe never expressed that she thought her husband knew about their affair or that she planned to tell him about it before her death.
Fastow clarified that he and Ana Walshe didn’t post photos of each other or comment with flirtatious messages on each other’s public social media pages and he never met her friends aside from their mutual friend Gem Mutlu.
Fastow testified that he can’t remember if he told Mutlu about his extramarital relationship with Ana Walshe before or after she disappeared. They’ve spoken about it since, he said.
Fastow said on one occasion while he was with Ana Walshe out to dinner, Fastow got a call from Brian Walshe. When Ana Walshe spoke to her husband later that day, he told her their son took his phone and called Fastow.
Ana Walshe never spoke about an imminent plans to reveal their affair to her husband, Fastow acknowledged.
“There was no plan that I was aware of,” Fastow said.
Porges asked, “She never told you, ‘Hey, Will, I’m gonna go blow up my marriage and come be with you?’”
Fastow agreed.
Fastow testifies he has not seen Ana Walshe since Christmas Day 2022
Willam Fastow also reviewed a photo of Ana Walshe and identified a Gucci pendant necklace and a Cartier watch he said she frequently wore.
The jury saw that selfie of Ana Walshe in court.
Fastow also confirmed he hasn’t seen Ana Walshe since December 25, 2022.
The jury hears voicemail Brian Walshe left for Fastow on January 4
Brian Walshe called William Fastow on January 4, 2023, and left him a voicemail.
The jury heard the audio in court. Here’s what Brian Walshe said in the voicemail message:
“Good afternoon William, this is Brian Walshe. I hope all is going well. I was just reaching out to basically everybody I could. Ana hasn’t been in touch for a few days and I spoke to work today she hasn’t been in. They went to the house, and she wasn’t there or looks like she’s been there recently. So just wondering if you’ve spoken to her recently like Sunday or the last two days. Just so let me know, or if you know anyone that might have had that contact with her, just calling everyone. Sorry to bother you, I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I immediately called Brian back,” Fastow testified.
Fastow told Walshe he was near the house and offered to check to see if she was there.
Brian Walshe provided Fastow the garage code to enter the home but the door leading from the garage to the house was locked, Fastow said.
He called Walshe back after checking the townhome and told Walshe it didn’t look like she was there or had been there recently.
Fastow went back to the house later that night to check again but found no change.
Fastow made plans to meet with Ana Walshe on January 4
While William Fastow was in Idaho and Ana Walshe was with her family in Massachusetts over the holidays, the pair made plans to meet on January 4, 2023, to celebrate the New Year and discuss their future.
Fastow had made dinner reservations, he said.
“Our plans were to have dinner on January 4 to celebrate New Year’s and discuss our 1, 3, 5, and 10 year plans,” Fastow said.
“And what had you and Anna discussed about your future together?” prosecutor Anne Yas asked Fastow.
“We’d had a number of conversations about what a life together might look like, what merging two families would look like, how that might work,” Fastow said. “But I had always said to Anna that she needed to figure out how she wanted things to be with Brian and what she wanted that to look like for her life before, you know, we could make any sort of commitments or decisions.”
A text message around the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve wishing him Happy New Year was the last time Fastow ever heard from Ana.
On January 2, 2023, Fastow’s texts and calls to Ana Walshe went unanswered, he said. Her phone went straight to voicemail when he tried to call. He even tried calling her from a landline thinking she might’ve blocked his cell phone number.
He was concerned after not hearing from her, Fastow testified.
Brian Walshe called Fastow twice on January 4, 2023, but he ignored the calls.
“I was in an intimate relationship with his wife. I had not heard from her in several days, and frankly, I was concerned that maybe he had found out and was calling to confront me,” Fastow testified.
Remember: Brian Walshe’s defense team has repeatedly said that he didn’t know about his wife’s affair before January 1, 2023.
Walshe didn’t leave a voicemail the first time but he did later that day. Fastow provided that voicemail to law enforcement.
