Gem Mutlu, a family friend who spent New Year's Eve with Brian and Ana Walshe at their Cohasset home hours before she died, is testifying in the Massachusetts murder trial today.

You can stream the trial live from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on CBS News Boston or in the video player above.

Court started Wednesday with a voir dire hearing for Mutlu before the jury entered. Mutlu told the court that he and Ana Walshe talked about her "marital issues" in a phone call on Dec. 29, 2022, just before the New Year's Eve gathering.

"Part of it was that she was going back and forth from D.C., which was taking a toll on her, and the fact that Brian had not been able to leave Massachusetts," he said.

He also said there was a different conversation over the summer about Brian Walshe's art fraud case taking a toll on their marriage.

Mutlu's appearance comes after extensive testimony Tuesday on DNA evidence that prosecutors argue prove Ana Walshe was murdered.

Gem Mutlu testimony

Mutlu is a residential realtor who works in the Boston suburbs. Initially he met Brian Walshe at a semester-long leadership program, and Ana Walshe also worked for him for two years. Mutlu said he was close friends with both Ana and Brian as a couple, and individually.

Early in questioning, Mutlu said Ana Walshe had indicated to him that "they had martial problems." There was an objection by the defense, and the judge struck that comment.

Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor rephrased the question.

Mutlu became choked up several times while answering several questions.

Photographs were shown of a champagne box that Mutlu sign along with Ana and Brian Walshe during their New Year's Eve dinner. 

"Wow. 2022. What a year! And yet, we are still here and together. Let's make 2023 the best year yet. We are the authors of our lives," Ana wrote on one side, while Brian wrote on another, "To the best triumvirate ever." Mutlu added, "No place I'd rather be but here. NYE 2022."

Mutlu said Ana Walshe had no injuries and he had no concerns about her physical health that night. 

"Nothing was visible. It was a festive night," he testified.

On New Year's Day, Brian Walshe texted Mutlu to let him know that Ana was missing. He said she had left for a work emergency. Mutlu said he asked Walshe if he and Ana had been in a fight.

"His response was, 'No. Did it look like we had an argument? You were there,'" Mutlu said. "I didn't know what to make of it. I was in shock. I said you've got to call the police, you've got to alert everybody. You've got to let our community know and we've got to find her."

When asked about Brian Walshe's tone, Mutlu responded, "His tone was not panicked."

Gem Mutlu cross-examined

On cross-examination, defense attorney Kelli Porges attempted to show jurors that Mutlu and Ana Walshe had a close friendship and worked long hours together, but Brian Walshe never expressed any signs of anger or jealousy over that relationship.

Porges asked Mutlu about one of Brian Walshe's hearings in federal court. Mutlu sat with Ana Walshe in the courtroom, and said he held her hand during what he described as a tense hearing.

The defense attorney highlighted that Brian Walshe's mother Diana was also in the courtroom. Diana Walshe later told Ana she was upset that she had been holding hands with Mutlu. 

"Correct," Mutlu said, though the prosecution objected and the comment was struck. 

Porges attempted to show jurors that Ana Walshe developed feelings for Mutlu outside of work.

"At some point while Ana was working for you, Ana confessed that she had a crush on you?" she asked. 

Mutlu said he did not specifically remember Ana Walshe using that phrase. 

Porges asked about a relationship he had with another coworker that Ana Walshe was jealous of. The prosecution objected, leading to a sidebar.

Who is Gem Mutlu?

Days after Ana Walshe was reported missing in 2023, Mutlu spoke with WBZ-TV's Juli McDonald about the last time the three of them were together. 

"We hugged and celebrated and we toasted just what you do over New Year's," Mutlu said. "There was a lot of looking forward to the new year. There was no indication of anything other than celebrating the new year, problems on hold."    

Mutlu said he left their home at about 1:30 in the morning. A few days later, Brian Walshe called and told him Ana Walshe was missing.

"Both Ana and Brian have been individually and together very impactful on my life. A part of me had this suspicion all along that there may have been foul play and that somehow just the story just wasn't adding up," he said.  

Brian Walshe trial recap

For the first time on Tuesday, Ana Walshe's DNA was connected to items the prosecution said her husband used to dismember her and clean up the mess. 

Forensic scientist Saman Saleen with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab testified that Ana Walshe's DNA was on a pair of bloody slippers, a hatchet, a Tyvek suit, a stained rug and several other items police pulled from the trash.

But the defense argued that blood and DNA could have been transferred between items after being placed in bags and pressed together in a trash compactor.

"We all see these shows where they can get a blood sample and a DNA sample off of the smallest, tiniest microscopic piece. That's not real life," WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman said.  

The day ended with more surveillance footage showing Brian Walshe buying items including towels and bathmats at a HomeGoods in Norwell after Ana Walshe's death. 

Who is Brian Walshe?

Brian Walshe, 50, has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in his wife's death. Her body has never been found.

He has pleaded guilty to charges of misleading police and improperly disposing of a body. 

Walshe's defense claims that he panicked after finding his wife dead in their bed early in the morning of Jan. 1, 2023. The prosecution alleges that he killed her and is highlighting gruesome online searches he made around the time of her death.