The specter of an alleged murder now casts its shadow not just on a family but on a Cohasset home -- rendering it "unrentable," claims the landlord in a recent lawsuit. Peter Capozzoli, who bought the home in 2019, is taking legal action against Diana Walshe, mother of accused murderer Brian Walshe, for damages stemming from the case surrounding the death of Ana Walshe, Brian's wife. CBS Boston reports that Diana rented the home in March 2022, with a lease extended through February 2023, under the pretense of recovering from an illness.
Aside from the heartbreak deeply entwined in this case, the homeowner now contends with a property tainted by tragedy and crime investigations. According to NBC10 Boston, the landlord alleges his property was harmed during police procedures and required a specialized cleaning service for decontamination. Additional accusations include damage done by the family's German shepherd, and destruction within the home itself, such as holes punched through walls and a foot through the ceiling, as Capozzoli alleges Brian Walshe made during an attic visit gone awry.
While Brian Walshe has pled not guilty in the wake of charges regarding his wife's disappearance and presumed death, the proverbial ripples of the case touch more than just the familial sphere. The landlord's lawsuit details a grim list of grievances, the property now stands empty, swimming in loss — physical damage, the loss of rental income exceeding $100,000, and a pronounced devaluation due to its unfortunate notoriety.
The disappearance of Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old real estate investment manager, materialized following a New Year's Eve celebration. Brian Walshe reported she left their home early on New Year's Day for a work emergency. Details gleaned from an iPad's search history, which included topics on body disposal and the timing of human decomposition, offer a macabre backdrop to Capozzoli's current civil struggle; he worries about the "psychological impact" on the rental value of the residence. Legal analyst Michael Coyne, in a statement obtained by NBC10 Boston, stated, "The immediate rental value of the home is likely very, very low, simply because until this case is resolved, you don't know whether law enforcement will have to come back in, the house will be in the media every other day, virtually, and so their use of the home will be affected over the course of the next few years."
What remains to be seen is how a court will adjudge the landlord's claim, mired as it is in the aftershocks of a family's tragedy. Capozzoli's pursuit of restitution, through the apparatus of civil litigation, marks yet another chapter in a narrative fraught with sorrow, now bleeding into the very walls of the Walshe home.