Court documents show that prosecutors suggested Brian Walshe serve a 30-month prison sentence, but the judge delayed sentencing and allowed Walshe to stay under house arrest after the defense submitted their sentencing memo in September 2021.
The missing wife of accused murderer Brian Walshe vouched for her husband in a letter included in his 2021 sentencing memo.
Walshe entered a guilty plea in April 2021 to one count each of wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, possession of converted goods and an unlawful monetary transaction.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Walshe photographed two authentic Andy Warhol paintings from the artist’s “Shadows” series that he has taken from a friend, used those photos to sell the artwork to a dealer in California, and then sent the dealer two forgeries.
Court documents obtained by Inside Edition Digital show that prosecutors argued that Walshe should serve a 30-month prison sentence, but the judge delayed sentencing and allowed Walshe to stay under house arrest after the defense submitted their sentencing memo in September 2021.
The final letter in that sentencing memo was from Walshe’s wife, Ana.
“Brian is my [sic] the love of my life, my life, partner, best friend, and the father of our three children,” Ana wrote in her letter.
She calls him a “loving, nurturing, and patient” father, and a supportive husband.
“Brian fully supports me with my work. I often have late evening commitments and I work on this weekend as well,” Ana wrote. “Without Brian, I would be forced to quit my job which I love.”
Ana also wrote about Walshe's childhood.
“When I met, Brian, I witnessed his kindness and generosity on many occasions, however, I also saw the level of suffering in his life. He was afraid of relationships and for years did not allow anyone to get close to him, including me. He was clearly in doubt that he could be loved for who he truly was,” Ana wrote. “Brian has been deeply affected by his childhood and relationship with his parents.”
Ana then wrote: “He was taught to lie and hide.”
She went on to describe how she believed his upbringing impacted him later in life.
“He was told that he was a loser, that his parents should not have had him, that he had no chances of making anything of himself in life, and that he was a lost cause. A deep feeling of shame governed his life," Ana wrote. "This trauma has been ever-present in Brian‘s life, brought deep sadness for years and was the determining factor in how he showed up for himself and others.”
She closed out her letter by writing that her husband’s “purpose” in the wake of this experience was to be “an example of servant leadership and inspiration.”
A few weeks after the defense submitted this sentencing memo, Brian was put on house arrest.
The judge was “moments away from pronouncing a … non-imprisonment sentence” for Walshe in June 2022 when prosecutors accused him of committing additional acts of fraud and embezzlement.
In a supplemental sentencing memo, prosecutors alleged that Walshe lied to probation officers, misled authorities about the amount of money he received from both his wife and mother while claiming he could not pay the court-ordered restitution to his victims, and destroyed his father's final will and testament after being disinherited so that he could be appointed as the personal representative of his father's estate.
Federal prosecutors further alleged that Walshe then sold off and liquidated assets in the brief period that he had control over his father's estate.
Prosecutors once again argued a 30-month prison sentence for Walshe.
BRIAN WALSHE SUPPLIMENTAL SENTENCING MEMO
Court records show that the judge ordered a hearing on these allegations, but before that could happen, Walshe was arrested by local law enforcement and charged with hampering a police investigation for statements he made to authorities after his wife went missing.
He has entered a plea of not guilty to that charge.
Walshe is now accused of dismembering his wife's body and then discarding her remains in a series of dumpsters, prosecutors said in court on Wednesday.
He was formally arraigned a little over two weeks after his wife went "missing" from the couple's Cohasset home.
Walshe will remain in jail without bond until his next scheduled court appearance.
His attorney said on Wednesday that the allegations against his client are weak and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
