The man accused in the shocking murder of a woman in Needham in 2018 has pleaded guilty to that killing and to attacking his own parents.
Benjamin Walsh, now 28, was in a relationship with Olivia Bergstrom, 20, when she was stabbed inside the apartment they shared in Needham on September 10, 2018.
Walsh pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge on Monday, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.
After the attack on his girlfriend, Walsh had driven to a restaurant in Millis and attacked his parents while armed with a knife.
Walsh was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with the right to seek parole after he has served 25 years for the murder, with lesser sentences on the assault charges to be served concurrently, according to the district attorney.
The plea deal was approved by the parents of Olivia Bergstrom and the surviving stabbing victims, before the decision was made to allow Walsh to plead guilty to second-degree murder.
“The Commonwealth has agreed to reduce the first-degree murder charge to second-degree murder with the support of the victim’s parents because the plea to second-degree murder ensures the safety of the community, avoids the challenges and stresses of a trial, acknowledges the defendant’s brutal acts and the twenty-five year minimum sentence prior to the possibility of parole is significant and substantial,” according to the prosecutor’s sentencing memorandum to the judge.
“This brings its own finality to the proceeding,” said District Attorney Morrissey. “The outcome of a trial is never assured, and appeals procedures in murder cases span many years. I cannot imagine the pain of Olivia’s parents, and my thoughts are very much with them today.”
The plea came on the morning that jury selection was slated to begin in the case.
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