DNA consistent with Ana Walshe’s profile was found on a hacksaw and a hatchet recovered from trash, a forensic scientist testified as prosecutors continued presenting evidence in the murder trial of her husband, Brian Walshe.
Saman Saleem, a DNA unit supervisor at the state police crime lab, testified Tuesday that multiple items recovered from a Peabody, Massachusetts, trash collection site contained Ana’s DNA. Those items included sections of a Tyvek suit, pieces of rug, unknown tissue, slippers, and both the blade and handle of a hacksaw, as well as the head and handle of a hatchet.
Brian, now 50, is accused of killing his wife after learning she was having an affair. Prosecutors say he believed he would have a better chance of avoiding federal prison time for his art fraud conviction if he became the sole caretaker of the pair’s three children.
He was the beneficiary of his wife’s $2.7 million life insurance policy and owed nearly $500,000 in restitution in his federal case, court records show.
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Saleem, a forensic science and DNA unit supervisor at the Massachusetts State Police crime lab, delivered the most damaging evidence Tuesday. She confirmed that the items recovered contained single-source female DNA that matched Ana’s profile.
Saleem said the DNA profile obtained from the hacksaw blade was “at least 39 million times more likely” if it originated from Ana than from an unknown, unrelated individual. DNA consistent with Ana was also found on a blood-stained piece of rug and on “unknown tissue” recovered from a dumpster in Swampscott.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Larry Tipton worked to discredit the physical evidence by focusing on the limitation of forensic testing as well as the chance of contamination.
Saleem acknowledged that DNA “could be transferred from one item to another item in a bag” if pressed together.
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The jury also saw evidence of Brian’s actions in the days immediately following Ana’s New Year’s Day disappearance.
Michael Roddy, a district loss prevention manager for TJX, the parent company of HomeGoods, presented surveillance video of Brian’s shopping trips.
The footage showed Brian shopping at a Norwell HomeGoods on the mornings of Jan. 2 and Jan. 4.
Receipts showed that Walshe purchased rugs, towels and bathmats, paying for the items using store value cards for $245.35 and for $155.91. Roddy authenticated receipts that traced the store credits back to returns made by Ana in December 2022 from stores in Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Testimony is set to resume Wednesday with the voir dire of Gem Mutlu, Ana’s former boss and friend.
