Walsh confession ok'd

Nassau County Judge David Ayres ruled on Sept. 23 that all of the evidence presented in preliminary testimony in the murder case against William Walsh is admissible in court, including his confession.

Preliminary hearings to determine the admissibility of evidence in Walsh’s upcoming trial were held from Sept. 10 to Sept. 23.

Walsh, 30, is accused of killing his 29-year-old wife, Leah, a Rockville Centre native, last October, after the two allegedly fought. Police say that the murder took place early on Oct. 26, a Sunday, and that Walsh left his wife’s body in the house and spent the rest of the day normally, going to the gym and eating at McDonald's. Late that night, according to police, he dumped her body in the woods off the Long Island Expressway. The next morning, he drove her car onto Route 135, parked it and let the air out of one of the tires. As the search for Leah Walsh began, he made public pleas for his wife's return. When her body was found on Oct. 27, he asked for her killer to be found. Two days later, police arrested Walsh and charged him with murder.

Police say Walsh confessed to his wife's murder the day they arrested him, and later gave them a written seven-page confession. Walsh's attorney, William Petrillo of Rockville Centre, sought to have Walsh's confession deemed inadmissible, saying that police had coerced it from him.

If convicted, Walsh, who is charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and criminal possession of a weapon, faces a sentence of 25 years to life. A trial date has not yet been set.

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