When will Brian Walshe’s trial start? Today’s competency hearing could reveal a lot

DEDHAM, Mass. — Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, in January 2023, is due to appear in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court for a competency hearing on Friday morning.

• WATCH LIVE: Boston 25 will stream the hearing at 11 a.m.

The judge will determine whether Walshe is mentally fit to stand trial. The hearing was previously delayed after doctors requested more time for evaluation.

If Walshe is found competent, court documents indicate his trial could begin as early as next week. If he is ruled not competent, charges may be suspended indefinitely and could eventually be dismissed if competency cannot be restored.

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Walshe has been held at Bridgewater State Hospital during the evaluation process.

Last month, lawyers for Walshe asked a judge to change the venue of his trial due to concerns over finding a “fair and impartial” jury.

Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering Ana 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.

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. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Ana, 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.

Ana’s body has never been found.

Walshe is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings.

He has been held without bail since his arrest.

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