A Massachusetts judge has ruled that Brian Walshe, who is accused of murdering his wife Ana Walshe, is competent to stand trial. This decision came after an hour-long hearing where the judge reviewed a report from Bridgewater State Hospital.
Walshe's trial is now scheduled to begin on December 1. Walshe's competency was called into question prior to the scheduled October trial, leading to the postponement of proceedings and his temporary placement at Bridgewater State Hospital.
The hospital's subsequent report concluded he was ready to face trial, a finding that his defense attorneys did not dispute. The judge also denied a defense motion for a change of venue.
Prosecutors allege that Brian Walshe dismembered his wife, Ana, in their Cohasset home on or around January 1, 2023, and subsequently hid her remains, which have not been recovered. Two potential motives have been presented: Brian Walshe's discovery of his wife's alleged affair, indicated by his Google searches, and the possibility that he sought to avoid prison time in his art fraud case by causing his wife's disappearance.
Prosecutors also noted that Walshe was the beneficiary of a $2.7 million life insurance policy on his wife and that she believed having custody of their children would help him evade incarceration. Investigators presented evidence including Walshe's alleged Google searches for instructions on disposing of human remains, video footage of him purchasing cleaning supplies at Home Depot, and the recovery of a hacksaw and a bone fragment from a dumpster near his mother's home.
Brian Walshe has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
