Brian Walshe, Cohasset man accused of killing wife, found competent to stand trial

Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of killing his wife, Ana, appeared in court Friday for a competency hearing.

Walshe arrived to Norfolk Surperior Court after 40 days at Bridgewater State Hospital, where he had been undergoing an ordered mental health evaluation. The judge agreed with the hospital’s determination that Walshe is competent to stand trial.

“I’ve now received a report from Bridgewater State Hospital, comprehensive report from Dr. Ryan, and in that report Dr. Ryan concludes that the defendant is competent and ready to stand trial,” said Judge Diane Freniere of Norfolk Superior Court.

Walshe’s defense attorney Larry Tipton did not argue the findings, but did tell the judge that Walshe is worried.

“He is concerned that changing from Bridgewater to the jail may have an adverse effect on him,” said Tipton.

Judge Freniere agreed there will be a transition period, but moved forward setting a trial date.

Walshe’s defense attorneys had also filed motions to move the trial out of Norfolk County and to pick a jury from out of the area because of the media coverage of the case. The judge denied both requests.

“Given the size of Norfolk county, the defendant has not shown a high likelihood that the entire jury pool would be tainted by the pretrial coverage of this case,” said Freniere.

Walshe is accused of killing his wife Ana in their Cohasset home. She was last seen on New Years Eve 2023. Her body has never been found.

Investigators said Walshe disposed of Ana’s body in different trash receptacles around the region. They also said he made Google searches around the time of Ana’s disappearance about the disposal of a dead body.

A final pretrial hearing for Walshe will be on Monday, and jury selection will begin on Tuesday. His trial is set to begin on December 1.