Watch Live: Brian Walshe due in court for competency hearing in delayed Massachusetts murder trial

Brian Walshe, the Massachusetts man accused of killing his wife Ana and dismembering her body, is due in court for a competency hearing today that has delayed the start of his upcoming murder trial.

Last month, Judge Diane Freniere ordered Walshe to be hospitalized for 20 days at Bridgewater State Hospital to determine if he is competent to stand trial. If Walshe is found to be competent, jury selection in his trial could start next week.

You can stream the court hearing live from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham when it begins Friday morning on CBS News Boston or in the video player above.

The Ana Walshe case

Ana Walshe, 39, was last seen early on the morning of Jan. 1, 2023, after the couple hosted a friend at their Cohasset home for a New Year’s Eve dinner.

Brian Walshe told police that she left the house early in the morning to get a ride to the airport and fly to Washington, D.C. for a work emergency, but there’s no record of her being picked up by a car or boarding a plane.

Investigators allege that Brian Walshe made gruesome internet searches on his son’s iPad around the time of her disappearance, including “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to.” Prosecutors also say surveillance video from Home Depot in Rockland shows him buying large amounts of cleaning supplies including mops, a bucket, tarps and drop cloths.

Walshe was arrested after detectives found blood as well as a bloody and damaged knife in the basement of their home. Her body has not been found. 

Brian Walshe defense

Brian Walshe has suffered from fear and anxiety since he was stabbed in jail in September, his lawyers previously said. 

“The defendant is not functioning at the level he was functioning prior to the violent assault and importantly, not functioning in a manner required of any defendant facing a complex trial,” the defense wrote in a filing. 

The defense has asked for a change of venue outside Norfolk County, or for jurors to be selected from outside the county. They claim he can’t get a fair trial in the area because of pretrial publicity and media coverage. 

Walshe’s lawyers have argued that the government obtained the alleged Google searches illegally. They’ve also sought texts and emails from former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator who was fired for his handling of the Karen Read case.

Walshe was sentenced last year to three years in prison in a separate case after pleading guilty to art fraud charges.