Leah Walsh was strangled and her body left next to the Long Island Expressway in October, 2008. Her husband William Walsh will face trial for her murder.
William Walsh’s confession about murdering his wife Leah last year and dumping her body near the Long Island Expressway will be admissible in court, says a ruling by Nassau County Judge David Ayres that was announced today.
Defense attorneys for Walsh, of Bethpage, were trying to keep some physical evidence, as well a written confession Walsh made, from being allowed into the trial.
Walsh has been charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted. A trial date has yet to be set, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.
In a crime that shocked L.I., on October 26, 2008 Walsh allegedly strangled his wife at their home after they had an argument about him having an affair. Walsh then covered her with black trash bags and went about his day, going to the gym. At around 10:00 p.m. that evening, William Walsh put Leah’s body in the passenger seat of her Ford Focus and drove to a wooded area of the L.I.E., where he dumped her body. He then parked and abandoned her car on the side of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway near the Plainview Road exit.
Walsh called the police the next day, then made public pleas for information on his wife’s disappearance. He was arrested on October 29 when Leah’s body was discovered off the North Service Road to the LIE in North Hills.
“My office has fought hard to introduce every last shred of evidence against this defendant,” Rice said in a statement. “This ruling will give jurors a clear picture of exactly what happened to this innocent young woman.”
Assistant District Attorney Michael Walsh of the Major Offense Bureau is handling the case for the DA’s Office. The defendant is represented by William Petrillo, Esq.
