Lawyers for Brian Walshe, man accused of dismembering wife, want to see records from Karen Read case

DEDHAM, Mass. — Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, 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, appeared in court Wednesday for a new hearing in his murder case.

Making his first public appearance in months, Walshe walked into Norfolk Superior Court sporting a suit, tie, and handcuffs. Wednesday’s court hearing was brief as Judge Beverly Cannone rescheduled arguments in the case for Dec. 2.

Attorneys representing Walshe, 49, want cell phone records from suspended Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor, who was the lead investigator assigned to Ana’s murder, as well as the Karen Read murder case. They believe those records may help them in defending Walshe.

The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in September that releasing Proctor’s full work phone history could compromise public safety and jeopardize other cases.

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The release of sensitive information on Proctor’s work phone would also “pose a physical risk to individuals and the public alike,” the DA’s office added.

The DA’s office said at the time of the release of Proctor’s records that they were trying to determine what, if any data, should be publicly shared and how that would happen.

In addition to seeking “all of the information” from the extraction of data from Proctor’s work cell phone and cloud account, court documents indicate Walshe’s legal team wants a “complete copy” of 3,000 pages of Department of Justice materials linked to the investigation into the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, who Read is accused of fatally striking with her SUV in Canton during a snowstorm.

The documents show that Walshe’s team also wants “any and all notes, reports, memoranda or other local documents” related to the “death of Officer John O’Keefe and the whereabouts of Ana Walshe.”

Prosecutors previously announced that they wouldn’t be calling Proctor to testify in Walshe’s upcoming trial after state police suspended him in July following Karen Read’s mistrial.

During testimony and cross-examination, Proctor came under fire for a series of disparaging texts about Read that he sent to friends, family, and supervisors, which he read aloud in court during her trial. In those texts, Proctor commented on Read’s physical appearance, used vulgar language, suggested he had made up his mind based on evidence as to Read’s guilt, and said he wished Read would kill herself.

Prosecutors allege that Walshe killed his 39-year-old wife and misled investigators about her disappearance in early 2023.

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 Walshe, 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.

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Days after Ana’s disappearance, a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered from their home by investigators.

Police later searched trash bins, dumpsters, trash trucks, and trash facilities in the areas where Brian Walshe traveled following her disappearance.

Prosecutors have also previously said that a broken knife with blood on it was found in the basement of the Walshe family home.

The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office previously said that it was awaiting DNA test results from dozens of items.

In late June, Walshe had a court appearance waived. At that time, prosecutors said during a brief hearing in Dedham Superior Court that DNA results were expected by the end of the month, the Patriot Ledger reported.

Walshe has been held without bail since his arrest. A trial date has not been set.

Ana’s body has never been found.

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