9 jurors seated after Day 1 of jury selection in Brian Walshe murder trial

BOSTON — The first day of jury selection in the murder trial of Brian Walshe concluded Tuesday with nine jurors seated.

Six men and three women currently make up the jury in the highly publicized trial for the murder of Ana Walshe. Prosecutors and the defense hope to ultimately seat 16 individuals.

Walshe entered a plea of guilty on charges of misleading police and unlawful disposal of a body on Tuesday.

Freniere asked Walshe if he willfully removed the body of his wife, Ana Walshe, from their home. Walshe said, “Yes, your honor.”

Walshe is charged with murdering and dismembering his wife over New Year’s Eve 2023 at their Cohasset home. He was deemed competent to stand trial last week. Had Walshe been found not competent, his charges may have been suspended indefinitely or even dismissed if his competency could not have been restored.

Last month, lawyers for Walshe asked Freniere to change the venue of his trial due to concerns over finding a “fair and impartial” jury. Freniere denied that motion on Friday, ordering the trial to go on as planned in Dedham.

This all comes after Walshe was stabbed inside the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Correctional Center in September.

Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering Ana with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his son’s iPad to Google the best ways to get rid of a body.

In March 2023, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on a charge of murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with his wife’s death.

Ana, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., vanished on New Year’s Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later, authorities said.

Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Year’s Day. The couple’s three young boys were reportedly home at the time.

0 of 59