Trial date set for Brian Walshe in murder of missing real estate executive wife

A Massachusetts man accused of killing his wife and dismembering her body appeared in court for a hearing on Monday afternoon, when a judge set a trial date for October of next year. 

Ana Walshe, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later. Her body was never recovered.

Prosecutors and investigators allege her husband, Brian Walshe, murdered 39-year-old Ana in January 2023 and misled authorities about her disappearance.  

UPDATED DETAILED TIMELINE OF ANA WALSHE’S DISAPPEARANCE AND BRIAN WALSHE’S ARREST

Judge Diane Freniere on Monday set Walshe’s trial date for Oct. 21, 2025 during a hearing held at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. The judge said she expects the trial to take no longer than four weeks. 

Walshe appeared in court on Monday wearing glasses, a blue suit with an aqua tie, and a white dress shirt, and his hands were shackled. 

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During the hearing, the defense asked that prosecutors look into any potential police bias, given that the lead investigator in the Walshe case was Trooper Michael Proctor, who was also the lead in the Karen Read case, which ended in a mistrial after inappropriate texts of his came out during testimony.

Proctor has since been suspended without pay after he admitted to unprofessional behavior in that case, including disparaging comments about Read.

The prosecution agreed to ask investigators if they know of any records like emails or text messages from law enforcement officers that would indicate a bias when it comes to handling of the Walshe case, as well as if any information was lost or destroyed.

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Ana Walshe holds her three children in an October 2022 Instagram post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)

Walshe was indicted in March 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, misleading police and improper transport of a human body. He pleaded not guilty to accusations that he beat his wife to death in their Cohasset home, dismembered and discarded her body. 

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Store surveillance footage shows Walshe at a Home Depot, buying various items, including three mops and brushes, two splash-resistant goggles and a utility knife, which investigators believe he used to dispose of her body, according to court records. 

Authorities also searched trash bins and dumpsters in the areas where Brian Walshe traveled following Ana’s disappearance. 

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Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife Ana, who disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023, enters the courtroom for his arraignment, Thursday, April 27, 2023 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Left, Brian Walshe in Quincy District Court on Jan. 18, 2023. Ana Walshe, right, on her wedding day in Emmanuel Episcopal church on Newbury Street in Boston on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool; Obtained by Digital)

During the search for Ana, investigators found a hacksaw that had a “small bone fragment” on it in a dumpster across the street from Walshe’s mother’s house. Other evidence found in the dumpster included Ana’s COVID vaccination card, a Hermes watch and Gucci necklace that she was known to wear, Hunter boots, a black Prada purse, and a short black coat, according to court records. 

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Walshe also allegedly used his son’s iPad to make over a dozen Google searches in the days after his wife’s disappearance, centered around discarding a body, prosecutors said. 

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A motion hearing regarding DNA testing has been scheduled for Jan. 8, 2025. 

‘ Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.