Jurors began deliberating Friday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the Massachusetts man accused of killing and dismembering his wife more than two years ago.

Ana Walshe’s body has never been found since she disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023. The same day his wife was last seen alive, Walshe went to multiple pharmacies and hardware stores to buy heavy-duty cleaning supplies, a Tyvek protective suit and a utility knife, according to prosecutors.

He made the trips after early morning internet searches including, “How long before a body starts to smell?” and “Dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body.” Over the next several days, prosecutors said, he looked for information online about how to cut apart a body into pieces with a hacksaw, not reporting his wife missing until one of her colleagues noticed her absence from work and contacted police.

On the day jury selection had been set to begin last month, Walshe pleaded guilty to misleading police and dismembering his wife's body, but hopes to convince jurors that he didn’t kill her. His attorneys have tried to put reasonable doubt in jurors' minds, acknowledging that Walshe lied to investigators while arguing he panicked after discovering Ana dead at their home following a New Year’s Eve gathering.

His attorneys rested Thursday without calling any witnesses, despite speculation that Walshe might testify.

When questioned by authorities after Ana was reported missing, Walshe told police his wife had left Massachusetts on New Year’s Day for a work emergency in Washington, D.C., though witnesses testified there was no record of her booking a ride or boarding a flight. He did not contact her employer until Jan. 4.

He later admitted that he dismembered her body and disposed of it in dumpster, saying that he did so only after panicking when he found his wife had died in bed.