Overview
- Judge Diane C. Freniere accepted a Bridgewater State Hospital finding that Brian Walshe is competent to stand trial.
- Jury selection will begin next week, with opening statements scheduled for Dec. 1 in Norfolk Superior Court.
- The court denied Walshe's motion to move the case or import an outside jury, citing largely factual media coverage and the size of the local jury pool.
- Competency concerns arose after Walshe was stabbed in jail on Sept. 11, leading to an extended evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
- Prosecutors allege digital and physical evidence, including Google searches on disposing bodies, Home Depot purchases, and blood and a damaged knife at the home; Ana Walshe’s remains have not been found, and scrutiny of former trooper Michael Proctor’s devices remains a developing issue.