A Massachusetts man accused of killing and dismembering his wife was stabbed inside a county jail late Thursday, officials said, in an assault that took place weeks before his scheduled murder trial.
The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office said the assault occurred just before 10 p.m. inside a housing unit at a correctional center in Dedham. The office did not publicly identify the inmate who was attacked. Defense lawyer Larry Tipton confirmed to MassLive that his client, Brian Walshe, was stabbed and was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for treatment before being returned to the jail overnight, the sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital.
Sheriff’s Office officials said the other individual involved was subdued by officers and that a makeshift blunt instrument was recovered. The department said the incident is under investigation, and it did not disclose the nature of any charges that might be brought in connection with the assault.
Walshe, 40, has been held in connection with the January 2023 disappearance of his wife, Ana Walshe, a Washington-based real estate professional and mother of three. Prosecutors have accused him of killing and dismembering Ana and allege he used items purchased at a Home Depot — including mops, splash-resistant goggles and a utility knife — in an effort to dispose of her body. Ana Walshe’s body has not been recovered.
During the search for Ana, investigators found a hacksaw with a "small bone fragment" in a dumpster across the street from Walshe’s mother’s home, prosecutors have said. Prosecutors also said that in the days after Ana’s disappearance, Walshe used his son’s iPad to make more than a dozen Google searches about how to discard a body. Records show he had previously hired a private investigator after expressing suspicions that his wife was unfaithful.
At the time of Ana Walshe’s disappearance, the couple’s marriage was reportedly strained amid unrelated legal troubles for Brian Walshe. Prosecutors say he had been under house arrest as part of pre-sentencing probation in a separate case involving the sale of forged Andy Warhol paintings.
Walshe was arraigned on murder and related charges following his arrest in 2023. He is scheduled to stand trial in October. Court records and public statements by prosecutors have outlined pieces of the case prosecutors intend to present, including video evidence from a big-box store purchase and forensic findings tied to the dumpster discovery.
The stabbing in custody adds a new development to a case that has drawn intense media attention and public interest because of the severity of the allegations and the fact that Ana Walshe’s remains have not been located. Authorities have not released details about Walshe’s medical condition beyond confirming he was treated at a Boston hospital and returned to the correctional facility.
Investigators from the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office said they will continue to probe the assault and coordinate with prosecutors on any potential charges stemming from the jail incident. The District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Walshe’s defense team has previously challenged aspects of the prosecution’s case and is expected to continue legal motions and pretrial arguments in the months ahead. The upcoming trial will address the criminal charges tied to Ana Walshe’s disappearance and the evidence prosecutors say ties Brian Walshe to her death. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information relevant to Ana Walshe’s disappearance to come forward to investigators.