Takeaways from Brian Walshe murder trial: Defense says wife Ana died suddenly in bed

Was Ana Walshe murdered by her husband? Or did she die in bed of a mysterious, unexplained medical event?

Defense attorneys for her husband, Brian Walshe, will try to convince jurors of the latter, one said in opening statements Monday as his murder trial began in earnest, almost three years after Ana vanished from a Boston suburb in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2023.

It was the first time anyone has publicly offered a theory for the cause of Ana’s death since Walshe was charged with her murder. Her body has never been found, and while Walshe two weeks ago pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of Ana’s body and misleading police as they investigated her disappearance, he insists he did not kill her.

Walshe faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of first-degree murder for Ana’s death.

Here’s what happened Monday during opening statements and the first day of witness testimony:

Prosecutors did not offer a theory for how Ana Walshe died

Prosecutors have told the jury they will prove Walshe planned to kill his wife. But in opening statements Monday, Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor instead walked the panel through the known events in the days around Ana Walshe’s disappearance – without suggesting how Walshe allegedly killed her.

Ana Walshe flew to Massachusetts on December 30, 2022, from Washington, DC, where she wor