Dateline NBC
Brian Walshe on tape. Ole Miss murder twist. Plus, the true crime geek of the Real Housewives.
04 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What is the Brian Walshe case about?
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So we will go ahead and get started.
Our producers are catching up on breaking crime news.
What clearly made the difference was they found the body.
She wants the GPS up because she wants to be able to become an influencer. She's on a plane. He'll have an update this week.
Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Andrea Canning. It's December 4th, and here's what's on our docket. In Mississippi, a stunning courtroom twist in the case of a college student accused of murdering his secret lover.
He went to the witness stand so he could look directly into Tim Harrington's eyes.
In Dateline Roundup, a new documentary about Sean Diddy Combs is making headlines. And scenes from the courthouse at an important pre-trial hearing for Luigi Mangione.
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Chapter 2: What were the details of Brian Walshe's defense in court?
The defense said Brian absolutely did not kill Anna. The defense told the story of how they hosted a New Year's Eve dinner with an old friend. After Anna went to bed, Walsh cleaned up the kitchen and headed upstairs. And this is what the defense says happened next.
But he nudged Anna, his wife. She didn't respond. He nudged her again, a little harder. She didn't respond. You'll hear evidence that now he is panicking and he doesn't understand what has happened and what is happening. It didn't make sense that somebody that he had just been with and enjoyed New Year's Eve into New Year's Day would suddenly be dead. You will hear evidence in this case.
Sudden unexplained death.
So he's saying Ana died of natural causes? Sudden unexplained death?
That's right. The defense attorney said it's something that is not well understood by non-medical professionals and that when it happened to Ana, Brian just flipped out.
This is how the defense is explaining the cover-up, that instead of calling 911, Brian Walsh thought it would be better to dispose of his wife's body in a dumpster. I mean, Dorothy, I think a lot of people listening to this will feel like it doesn't really make sense.
I think that's what a lot of people are saying, Andrea. But the defense said he was desperate. He feared that somebody would think he'd committed murder, and that's why he tried to hide the body for fear of losing his children. Did the defense say anything about the alleged affair? Yes. The defense said Brian and Anna were happy, that Brian didn't even know about the relationship.
and that they were planning for their future together and that their biggest struggle was the federal case against Brian for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings.
As to why he Googled about the best way to get a divorce, the defense said that came down to the art fraud case too, that Walsh knew he was heading to prison and was worried about the well-being of Anna and the kids, so he was considering a divorce to free them up.
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Chapter 3: What evidence did the prosecution present against Brian Walshe?
So that was huge. And some say it was the hand of God guiding them. And there was something that really very strongly connected the human remains to Tim. There was a duct tape. that was around the moving blankets that hid the body. And that duct tape matched directly the duct tape that they found in Tim Harrington's apartment.
Issa, you went to court on Monday as jury selection was set to begin. Jury selection did get underway, but very soon after, there is a major twist in the courtroom.
Absolutely. Tim Harrington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and to tampering with a body.
Yeah, much lesser charges than capital murder, which he was going to face at trial. Isar, what was the reaction when this happened?
I understand that the family was very relieved and they didn't want to go through the second trial.
And Jay Lee's father spoke at sentencing?
Yes. So obviously nobody had prepared any victim impact statements. This happened on very short notice. But Jay Lee's father went to the witness stand so he could look directly into Tim Harrington's eyes. And he talked a lot about forgiveness. He's a pastor as well. And he talked a lot about the faith that helped him survive these years. But he also spoke about forgiveness.
Jay Lee and how his face and how his voice and how his son could only exist in his memories, how he would never be able to see him again or look him in the eyes again.
Tim Harrington received 40 years. He got the maximum. And the judge also made a powerful statement about the case and about the state of Mississippi after handing out the sentence.
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Chapter 4: How did the defense explain the circumstances of Anna Walsh's death?
So then I just kind of segued out of practicing into reality TV. And then during COVID, I didn't know what was going on with my life or TV or anything at that point. So that's when I reached out to the Innocence Project and just asked if I could be a part of it, if I could volunteer, how could I help? What could I do?
which helps with that need to have that legal tie, even though I don't practice anymore. And also the podcast kind of gives me that nerdy element that I'm missing. Tell us...
about your cases that you choose. You told me you get a lot of feedback from fans, right? With information as well?
I do. I'll tell you, Karen Reed was not initially on my radar. I don't know why, but I didn't really, I hadn't really heard of it. But I had gotten so many DMs from fans on my Instagram saying, you have to talk about Karen Reed. Have you heard of Karen Reed? And so that's when I started to dive into it. Obviously, because I'm kind of in that pulp cultural type of world.
We do try to stick to whatever is current. We try to stick to like what people are currently buzzing about.
I love how on the show, and again, I'll remind people I have not missed one episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. I love how you always integrate the Innocence Center and your work into the show because you're the only, of all the franchises, You're the only one talking about such a, you know, a very heavy subject, right, of people who are wrongfully accused.
To be in prison for that long and then to come out and to reintegrate with society, but with your family and to find a job, but to explain that you've spent the last... you know, 20 years in prison and then to explain, but you were wrongfully convicted. It's just, I can't fathom. That's why I switch.
Well, I still do a lot of fundraising, but I also really focus on the after effects of when they come out. Cause I've gotten to know a lot of exonerated persons and I know how important it is that it's not just the release, but how to help them assimilate back into society. Yeah. Absolutely. Emily, thank you so much for all your good work. Thanks, Andrea. Thanks for having me.
I really appreciate it.
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