Cohasset homeowner is suing Brian Walshe’s mother

Local news

The alleged murder of Ana Walshe and the subsequent police investigation have damaged and “psychologically affected” the Cohasset estate, its owner claims.

The owner of the Cohasset home where Brian Walshe is said to be killed and mutilated his wifeAna, is suing Walshe’s mother for $400,000, claiming the alleged murder and subsequent police investigation damaged and “psychologically affected” the property.

Homeowner Peter Capozzoli filed his lawsuit against Diana Walshe in Norfolk Superior Court last year The Patriot Ledger first reported. He is also suing the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association for $400,000, claiming it wrongfully denied him coverage.

According to Capozzoli’s complaint, Diana Walshe — a Swampscott resident — signed a six-month lease on the Chief Justice Cushing Highway property in March 2022 and later extended the lease until February 2023. Walshe allegedly told Capozzoli that she planned to stay there to live with her son Brian. , daughter-in-law Ana, and their three children while recovering from an illness.

Cut to January 2023, when Ana Walshe’s disappearance made national headlines after she was last seen alive early on New Year’s Day. Authorities quickly accused Brian Walshe of foul play, citing a long list of suspicious Google searches which he is said to have made in the hours after his wife disappeared.

Brian Walshe is also said to have bought hundreds of dollars cleaning products and hardware supplies in the days that followed, including a hacksaw and an axe. Investigators are said to have located themselves a few assets from Ana Walshe in a Swampscott dumpster and found blood and a bloody, damaged knife in the basement of the Cohasset house.

The alleged murder “caused blood and other human remains to contaminate the home, including the Walshes’ bedroom, (()where the murder apparently occurred) and the basement (where the mutilation and disposal apparently occurred),” Capozzoli’s lawsuit alleges.

The homeowner said he had to hire a company that specializes in decontaminating murder and crime scenes, “at significant expense.” He also claims the criminal investigation further damaged the property, with investigators’ use of the blood-detecting chemical luminol staining the walls, mattresses, furniture, toilets, sinks and showers.

“In addition to this tangible damage to the property, as a result of the highly publicized murder committed at the property by (Diana) Walshe’s son, the property has now been psychologically affected, significantly reducing its potential rental and resale values,” Capozzoli claimed. .

Months after Ana Walshe’s disappearance, Capozzoli said he could not rent the property and that expected repairs and renovations would leave the house “inactive and uninhabited” for even longer, according to the lawsuit.

In her response, Diana Walshe denied ever living in the Cohasset property and said she was not listed as a guarantor. If Capozzoli suffered the harm alleged in his complaint, “such harm was caused by actions over which (Diana Walshe) had no control, nor any reason to anticipate or foresee,” her response reads.

Walshe also filed a counterclaim, claiming the property did not comply with the Massachusetts Sanitary Code and was “filled with mold” when her family moved in. The Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association, meanwhile, filed a response claiming it was acting in good faith and claiming its policy precludes “governmental action.”

An attorney for MPIUA declined to comment on the case, and attorneys for the other two parties did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning.

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Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work covers public transportation, crime, health and everything in between.

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