Brian Walshe, the man accused of murdering his wife and dismembering her body in Cohasset, Massachusetts, has requested a change of venue for his trial that is set to start this month, saying that media attention is preventing him from receiving a fair trial.

Walshe is asking for either a change of venue to outside of Norfolk County or that jurors be selected from outside Norfolk County. His attorneys said this is because he "cannot obtain a fair an impartial trial within Norfolk County" due to pretrial publicity and media coverage. 

Recently attacked in jail

Walshe's attorneys also pointed to a recent attack last month at the Norfolk County jail in Dedham, where he was stabbed and required hospitalization. "There is no reason for the vicious attack," said the motion. "It may very well be the product of the depiction of the defendant portrayed in the media."

"It is believed that the potential juror pool has been tainted, is biased and cannot be impartial," the motion read.

Accused of murdering wife

Walshe's wife, Ana Walshe, was last seen early in the morning on Jan. 1, 2023 after the couple hosted a friend for dinner. Walshe told police his wife left the house early to get a rideshare to Logan Airport and catch a flight to Washington, D.C., where she worked, because there was an emergency. Prosecutors said there's no evidence that she was picked up by a car or boarded a plane. Her company, which reported her missing on Jan. 4, also said there was no emergency.

Prosecutors said Walshe used his son's iPad to search for terms like "dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body," "how long before a body starts to smell" and "hacksaw best tool to dismember." He was also allegedly seen on surveillance video at a Home Depot in Rockland buying hundreds of dollars worth of cleaning supplies including mops, a bucket, tarps, drop cloths and tape. Ana Walshe's body has never been found.

Walshe's trial is set to begin on Oct. 20.