A Massachusetts man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife after New Year's 2023 has been found competent to stand trial, according to a state judge.

Brian Walshe, 50, is accused of murdering his wife, Ana, 39, and will be The trial was held on December 1, as ruled by Judge Diane Freniere this Friday, according to media outlets such as The Boston Globe and NBC Boston. Ana, a successful real estate executive, disappeared on January 1, 2023, from her home in Cohasset, a suburb of Boston. Her boss reported her missing on January 4, after she failed to show up for work in Washington, D.C. Brian, her husband, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges that were later filed against him. This came after he was charged with obstructing the investigation into Ana's whereabouts, a charge to which he also pleaded not guilty, People magazine previously reported. His murder trial was scheduled to begin in October of this year, but just before jury selection, Judge Freniere ordered him committed to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation, FOX News reported. During Friday's hour-long hearing, Freniere stated that she had received a full report from the hospital, which concluded that Brian was competent and ready to stand trial. He had also requested a change of venue for his trial, a request that the judge denied. Doubts about the man's competency to stand trial arose on September 11, after he was stabbed at the Norfolk County Sheriff's Correctional Facility in Dedham, MassLive reported. His lawyers argued that the assault affected his mental health and his ability to participate in his own legal process, according to NBC Boston. Brian “received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries following the assault in one of the facility's housing units.”The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office stated in a press release following the attack, "He returned to our facility overnight." The other person involved was subdued by deputies, and an improvised blunt weapon was recovered, according to the statement. Previously, in February 2024, Brian was sentenced to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his participation in a complex art fraud scheme that spanned years and involved two purported Andy Warhol paintings, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts reported. He was also ordered to pay $475,000 in restitution. In April 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of interstate transportation for fraudulent purposes, and one count of unlawful monetary transaction.

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