Brian Walshe, the man accused of killing his wife Ana Walshe in their Cohasset, Massachusetts home, pleaded guilty to two lesser charges Tuesday just before jury selection was set to begin in his murder trial.
You can watch the beginning of jury selection live on CBS News Boston when it begins at 9 a.m. by clicking on the embedded video player.
Walshe changed his plea to guilty on charges of misleading a police investigation, and improper conveyance of a human body. The maximum sentence for the police investigation charge is 10 years in prison, and the maximum for the second charge is three years.
He is still pleading not guilty to the charge of murdering his wife.
Ana Walshe was last seen in the early morning hours of January 1, 2023 following a New Year’s Eve dinner she and her husband hosted at their Cohasset home. Her body has never been found.
Prosecutors accuse Walshe of killing his wife and dismembering her body. Police say he suspected she was having an affair.
Judge Diane Freniere will oversee the case inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
Once jury selection is completed, opening statements are expected to be held around December 1. Freniere said she expects the trial to last three to four weeks.
Defense attorneys Kelli Porges and Larry Tipton will be representing Walshe during the trial. Assistant District Attorneys Greg Connor, Tracey Cusick and Anne Yas will lead the prosecution.
Who is Brian Walshe?
The 50-year-old Walshe is charged with murder, misleading a police investigation and improper conveyance of a human body. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. In a separate case last year, Walshe was sentenced to three years in prison on art fraud charges.
Walshe told police his wife left early January 1, 2023 to get a ride to the airport and fly to Washington, D.C. for a work emergency. Investigators said there is no evidence she was ever picked up and there is nothing to indicate she ever boarded a plane.
Police said they found a damaged and bloody knife in the basement of Walshe’s home.
Google searches
Prosecutors allege that Walshe’s Google history included terms about divorce leading up to his wife’s disappearance. They also accuse him of making violent searches that included “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to.”
On Monday during the final pretrial hearing in the case, prosecutors said they have “binders” made up of 1,000 pages of Walshe’s electronic history in addition to what was previously disclosed to a grand jury.
Michael Proctor, who was fired for his conduct during the Karen Read case, was also an investigator in Walshe’s case. Defense attorneys said Monday they plan to highlight to jurors that when Proctor’s integrity was impeached, the Commonwealth “moved away from him.”
Walshe was ordered to be hospitalized at Bridgewater State hospital last month to determine his competency. Last week, Judge Freniere said that after 40 days in the hospital, Walshe was deemed competent to stand trial.
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