The decision by Brian Walshe , the Cohasset man who allegedly killed and dismembered his wife in 2023, to plead guilty to two lesser charges before the start of his murder trial appears to be a tactical move aimed at blunting some of the more harrowing details of the case, legal specialists said.

Just before the start of jury selection Monday, Walshe, 50, pleaded guilty in Norfolk Superior Court to charges of conveying a human body and lying to investigators in the death of his wife, Ana Walshe, 39.

His guilty plea means he’ll only stand trial on the remaining murder charge once a full jury is seated. Prosecutors allege that he killed Ana Walshe in the predawn hours of Jan. 1, 2023, and then dismembered her, leaving the remains in various locations.

“It’s difficult to know w

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