DEDHAM, Mass. — Jury selection will start this week for Brian Walshe, the man accused of killing and dismembering his wife’s body in 2023.
Opening arguments are slated for December 1 at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
Ahead of the trial, Boston 25 News Legal Analyst Peter Elikann shared what the public can expect.
“A lot of people would think that without finding a body or without any eyewitness, you wouldn’t have a strong case,” Elikann said. “But sometimes circumstantial evidence cases can be the strongest of them all.”
Elikann said the trial will likely rely heavily on circumstantial evidence.
Walshe is accused of killing his wife, Ana, and dismembering her body on January 1, 2023.
Ana’s remains have not been found.
“From the time that he is googling how to dispose a body and how long does it take before a body starts to smell and then they have him going out and buying a hatchet,” Elikann said.
It’s currently unclear what the defense’s strategy will be.
“Perhaps it is that without a body, without an eyewitness can you really prove that he did it?”
On Friday, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diana Freniere determined that Walshe is mentally fit to stand trial during a competency hearing that was previously delayed after doctors requested more time for a mental health evaluation.
Freniere’s ruling paves the way for jury selection in the high-profile case to begin on Tuesday, Nov. 18. She told the court that she expects to question about 70 potential jurors a day, predicting the jury would be seated by Thanksgiving.
“The key to the judge’s ruling was that this was not a really fiery scandalous kind of coverage,” Elikann explained. “Most of what had been revealed to the public so far was pure facts and that’s why the judge made that decision.”
Walshe was held at Bridgewater State Hospital during the evaluation process. He’ll be transferred back to prison as he awaits the start of his trial.
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.
Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering Ana with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his son’s iPad toGoogle 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. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
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.
Days after Ana’s disappearance, a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered from their home by investigators.
Elikann estimates the trial could last anywhere from two to four weeks.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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