BOSTON — A longtime friend of Brian Walshe’s late father, a regarded Boston neurologist, is providing insight into Brian’s childhood and a pattern of scheming behavior.
The friend, who does not want his name published, said he’s still stunned by the developing criminal case involving Brian despite what he’s seen over the course of decades.
He was a close friend of Thomas Walshe’s for 35 years and knew Brian since he was a young boy, attending a private school in Boston.
As Brian grew older, he says he became fixated on a materialistic and extravagant lifestyle.
“As Brian got older, he sort of lost touch with how people make it in the world and assumed a mantle of entitlement,” he said. “There was signs he was a con-artist.”
The family friend told Boston 25 News that Brian Walshe conned his father Thomas out of a large sum of money through an elaborate real estate scam.
He said Brian then disappeared from his father’s life.
“His dad never heard from him after that,” he recalled. “His father was never the same after that.”
When father Thomas Walshe died during a trip to India in 2018, Brian – his only child- was not included in the will.
Court documents allege that Brian destroyed the will and tried to take control of his father’s estate.
“We had to intervene to stop the sale of the house. Brian tried to claim everything in the book to claim that the will wasn’t valid,” said the friend.
The friend said he’s been deeply disappointed in Brian Walshe ever since.
However, he said he’s stunned by the evidence that investigators have uncovered so far in wife Ana Walshe’s disappearance.
[ 25 Investigates learns about Brian Walshe’s criminal background as search continues for his wife ]
“All of the people that I know that know Brian, because Brian was a regular fixture in his father’s homes, are equally shocked. No one said, it was just a matter of time. Everyone is shocked,” he added.
Court documents quote another family friend as providing a much different affidavit following the scandal involving Thomas Walshe’s will.
“Brian is not only a sociopath but also a very angry and physically violent person,” said the affidavit provided to the courts.
39-year-old Ana Walshe has not been seen since New Year’s day.
Brian Walshe was arraigned Monday on a charge of misleading a police investigation.
He’s being held on $500,000 bail and is set to return to court on February 9th.
Investigators say they found video of him at a hardware store, where he purchased $450 worth of cleaning supplies in cash.
During Monday’s arraignment, Prosecutors also said blood and a knife with blood on it were found in the basement of the home the Walshe family is renting.
[ 25 Investigates: Piecing together Brian Walshe’s alleged whereabouts the week Ana disappeared ]
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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