Karen Read Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed Brian Walshe's murder case from trial

The Norfolk County judge returning for Karen Read's upcoming retrial has been removed from another high-profile murder case.

According to court documents and news reports, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere will preside over the Brian Walshe case, replacing Judge Beverly Cannone.

Cannone, who declared a mistrial in Read's first trial, had previously been assigned to oversee the Read and Walshe cases but was given a “special assignment” for Read's highly anticipated second trial, scheduled for late January.

Walshe, 49, of Cohasset, is charged with the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe, whom prosecutors say he killed and then dismembered on the first day of 2023 and then hid her body parts in dumpsters in the Boston area.

Brian Walshe was charged with her murder and convicted in federal court in an unrelated international art fraud case, which he has appealed. He has been incarcerated at the Norfolk Correctional Facility since his initial arrest.

A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2 to consider the defense's request for the cell phone records of the case's lead investigator, suspended Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose vile texts were revealed in Read's first trial.

In a court filing, Walshe's attorney, Larry Tipton, requested “a complete copy of all data referenced in the Commonwealth's notice dated September 6, 2024, described as 'taking Trooper (Michael) Proctor's work cell phone' and 'Trooper Proctors.' Become a “work cloud account.”