A Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife and dismembering her body appeared in court Monday afternoon, where the judge set a trial date for next October.
Anna Walsh, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional working in Washington, D.C., disappeared on New Year's Day 2023 and was reported missing days later. Her body was never recovered.
Prosecutors and investigators allege that her husband, Brian Walsh, killed 39-year-old Anna in January 2023 and misled authorities about her disappearance.
Updated detailed timeline of Anna Walsh's disappearance and Brian Walsh's arrest
Brian and Anna Walsh pose on their wedding day at the Boston Public Garden in Boston on Monday, December 21, 2015. Brian is accused of murdering Anna in January 2023. (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Judge Diane Freniere set Mr. Walsh's trial date for October 21, 2025, during a hearing Monday at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. The judge said he expected the trial to take less than four weeks.
Walsh appeared in court Monday wearing glasses, a blue suit, light blue tie and white dress shirt, with his hands bound.
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During the hearing, the defense accused prosecutors of inappropriate text messages, given that the lead investigator in the Walsh case was Officer Michael Proctor, who was also the lead investigator in the Karen Reed case. The request was made in consideration of the fact that the trial ended in a miscarriage of justice. He came out during his testimony.
Mr. Proctor was later suspended without pay for his unprofessional conduct in the incident, including making disparaging comments about Mr. Reed.
Prosecutors will ask investigators whether they are aware of any records, such as emails or text messages, from law enforcement officials that indicate bias in the handling of Walsh's case, and whether any information was lost or destroyed. Agreed.
Anna Walsh murder: Husband Brian Walsh threw hacksaw that could be key evidence: Documents
Anna Walsh holds her three children in an October 2022 Instagram post. (Anna Walsh/Instagram)
Walsh was indicted in March 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, misleading police and improper transportation of a human body. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he beat his wife to death and dismembered her body in their Cohasset home.
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According to court records, store surveillance footage shows Walsh purchasing various items at the hardware store, including a mop and three brushes, two pairs of splash protection goggles, and a utility knife, which investigators say were purchased by Walsh. I think he used it to dispose of the body.
Authorities also searched trash cans and dumpsters in the area where Brian Walsh had traveled after Anna's disappearance.
Wife-murder suspect Brian Walsh avoids one legal bullet as he awaits DNA collection in murder case
Brian Walsh, accused of killing his wife, Anna, who disappeared on New Year's Day 2023, enters court for arraignment on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Durr/The Patriot Ledger, via AP, Pool)
Left, Brian Walsh in Quincy District Court on January 18, 2023. Right, Anna Walsh on her wedding day at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Newbury Street in Boston on Monday, December 21, 2015. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool; Provided by Fox News Digital)
While searching for Anna, investigators found a hacksaw with “small bone fragments” attached to it in a trash can across the street from Walshe's mother's home. Other evidence found in the dumpster included Anna's COVID-19 vaccination card, the Hermès watch and Gucci necklace she was known to wear, Hunter boots, and a black Prada, according to court records. The items included a wallet and a black short coat.
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Prosecutors say Walshe is also suspected of using his son's iPad to conduct more than a dozen Google searches, mainly about abandoning bodies, in the days after his wife's disappearance.
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A motion hearing on DNA testing is scheduled for January 8, 2025.
FOX News' Chris Everhart contributed to this report.
