On the fourth day of Brian Walshe’s first-degree murder trial, Ana Walshe’s lover spoke about their relationship and the tension in the Walshe marriage.

Walshe is accused of killing his wife Ana Walshe in January 2023. He pleaded guilty last month to lying to police and illegally disposing of her body, but claims he had nothing to do with her death.

William Fastow told the Norfolk Superior Court jury their affair began after Ana Walshe moved into a D.C. townhouse he sold her in the spring of 2022.

The pair went to dinner and movies, sailed in Annapolis, Maryland, and worked out together.

Fastow said he took her to his work functions and socialized with his friends, but they didn’t socialize with hers.

During the course of their relationship, Fastow said that Ana Walshe confided in him about Brian Walshe’s legal trouble. Walshe had pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, and his home confinement was predicated on being the primary caretaker for the couple’s three boys. That meant the children had to live in Cohasset, which made Ana Walshe sad, Fastow said.

Over time she became “despondent” over the situation, he testified. “It deeply upset her.”

Ana Walshe had told Fastow she was hoping that her husband would avoid prison time for the federal fraud charges and that the family would then relocate to the D.C. townhouse. But in July of 2022, when Brian Walshe’s sentencing was pushed back, that goal seemed farther from reach. It was then, Fastow said, that his relationship with Ana became more serious and he cut off seeing anyone else.

The biggest stressor in Ana Walshe’s life was not being able to resolve Brian Walshe’s federal case, Fastown said: “She felt it was holding up her life.”

By the fall, the two were spending holidays together. They went to Dublin, Ireland, for Thanksgiving. A rendezvous in D.C., on Dec. 24 and subsequent snowfall made Ana Walshe miss Christmas Day with her husband and the kids in Cohasset.

Fastow said that Ana Walshe told him her absence upset her husband and that they had argued about it.

Over the winter holiday, while Fastow was with his kids in Idaho and Ana Walshe was in Cohasset, they texted each other. Her last message came in just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2023, wishing him a happy New Year.

The first few days of the year, Fastow continued to text and call Ana Walshe, but she didn’t respond, he said. Worrying that she had blocked his number, he even tried calling her landline, but there was still no response.

On Jan. 4, 2023, the day Ana was reported missing, Brian Walshe called Fastow. Fastow declined at first, for fear Brian was calling to confront him about the affair.

“Sorry to bother you, sure everything is fine,” Brian said in a voicemail after his second call, explaining that Ana Walshe was missing.

Fastow immediately called back, then checked the garage at Ana’s townhouse for her car, using a code Brian gave him. But she wasn’t there then, and still wasn’t there when he checked back later in the day.

Fastow and Ana Walshe were supposed to get dinner together that night. She had booked her flight to D.C., and Fastow had made a restaurant reservation. They were supposed to talk about their future together, he said, but they never got the chance.

On cross-examination, Brian Walshe’s defense attorney Kelli Porges pushed back on how detailed the couple’s future plans were, getting Fastow to testify that they weren’t “concrete.”

Fastow said said that Ana Walshe had wanted to figure out what would happen with Brian Walshe and his case. Fastow said he had his own concerns about how his oldest child would react to news that he was in a new relationship.

“During your conversations or time with Ana Walshe, she never told you Brian Walshe was suspicious of you?” Porges asked.

Fastow mentioned that Brian Walshe once called him while he and Ana Walshe were out to dinner, which was unusual. The two men had only spoken on the phone a few times and never met in person. Fastow didn’t answer. Brian Walshe allegedly later told his wife that one of the kids had taken his phone and made the call accidentally.

“That’s the closest thing that happened where we were concerned that Brian had found out,” Fastow testified.

“I’m not asking if you felt concerned, I mean you were having an illicit affair, you’re always kinda concerned someone’s going to find out, right?” Porges asked.

“I mean, I suppose,” Fastow replied, adding that Ana Walshe had never told him that she was worried Brian Walshe knew about their relationship.

In addition to testimony from Fastow, jurors also heard evidence that Brian’s cellphone was tracked to a trash compactor where police later found brown-red stained clothing and rug samples, sawing tools, and a Tyvek suit.

The phone evidence also showed a safari search for “William Fastow” from Brian’s phone on Jan. 4, the day Ana was reported missing and the two men ended up talking on the phone.

Testimony on the cell phone data will continue in court on Friday.