DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — The highly anticipated murder trial of a Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife, whose body has never been found, has been delayed after the defendant was ordered to be sent to a mental hospital.
Brian Walshe appears in court via video conference Aug. 15, 2025. (Court TV)
Brian Walshe was scheduled to stand trial this month on charges including first-degree murder and misleading a police investigation in the death of his wife, Ana, who disappeared in January 2023. Prosecutors said Ana was allegedly having an affair at the time of her death.
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On Oct. 7, Judge Diane Freniere ordered Brian transferred from the Norfolk County jail to Bridgewater State Hospital for a 20-day competency evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial. The facility describes itself as a “medium security facility” serving people who have been civilly committed or pre-trial detainees sent for competency evaluations.
In a motion to continue the trial, Brian’s attorneys said that a stabbing at the jail has left him “unable to participate in his defense fully and to tolerate the physical requirements of attending full days of trial at this time.”
An accompanying affidavit explains that Brian was stabbed on Sept. 11 by another inmate in a “completely unprovoked” attack. After returning to jail from the hospital, Brian’s attorneys said he has been “disoriented and fearful.” While meeting with their client to go over discovery ahead of Brian’s trial, his attorneys said he “succumbed to anxiety” and had to be returned to the medical unit. Per the affidavit, Brian reports fatigue and a diminished ability to focus and concentrate on his case and trial.
A hearing on the defendant’s competency was initially scheduled for October 27, but was cancelled after the hospital requested additional time to evaluate Walshe. A new order requires the defendant to present Walshe at a pretrial conference on Nov. 17.
The order means that the murder trial will be continued until the judge determines that Brian is competent to proceed.
The motion to continue also alleged that prosecutors conducted additional DNA testing — the results of which are still not available — without notifying the defense. It also accuses the prosecution of withholding evidence “favorable to” the defendant, but does not specify what that evidence could be.
