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Karen Read judge removed from Brian Walshe murder case

DEDHAM – The Brian Walshe murder case has a new judge.

Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone is no longer tasked with overseeing the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of killing and dismembering his wife Ana Walshe in January 2023, according to court records.

The Walshe case was assigned to Judge Diane Freniere, who presided over the recent trial of Gregory Goodsell, a Marshfield man who killed 13-year-old Claire Zisserson in a crash in Pembroke. Freniere sentenced Goodsell to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years.

Cannone is set to preside over the retrial of Karen Read, the Mansfield woman accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston police officer and Braintree native John O'Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snowstorm.

The next hearing in the Walshe case is scheduled for December 2nd. In doing so, the parties will discuss detailed discovery requests filed by Walshe's attorney, Larry Tipton, requesting information related to suspended state trooper Michael Proctor and the Norfolk County District Attorney's investigation into the death of Sandra Birchmore.

Walshe was charged with first-degree murder in March 2023. He was also charged with misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper transportation or conveyance of a human body.

Ana Walshe murder trial: How Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore play a role in the case

Read's first trial ended in late July with a hung jury. Cannone has scheduled the second trial to begin on January 27, 2025. But prosecutors recently filed a joint motion to postpone the new trial until April 1, 2025.

“The joint motion will provide both the Commonwealth and the defense with sufficient time to prepare for trial, consider the scheduling of new witnesses, including expert witnesses, allow for expert review and disclosure in a timely manner prior to trial, and provide a far-reaching result to lead to more efficient and efficient evidence by both parties,” the motion states.

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Reach Peter Blandino at [email protected]

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