An Illinois mother who had reportedly been closely following the Lindsay Clancy case suffered a psychotic episode at the time she allegedly killed her young son, her attorney said.
Corie Walsh, 40, has been charged with first-degree murder after her son, Barrett “Bear” Walsh, was found dead last Tuesday inside the family’s home in Frankfort.
In a statement issued Friday night, Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, told NBC 5 Chicago that Walsh was experiencing a “psychotic episode” when Barrett died.
“This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Lyon said.
“It is also a tragedy in that Corie herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened,” the attorney continued.
“It is our hope that through a thorough presentation and investigation of the facts, that all of us will come to see this heartbreak for what it is,” Lyon added.
Court documents obtained by the station allege Walsh had been “actively discussing” the Clancy case in a group chat just hours before her son’s death.
The filing further claims Walsh told police she killed Barrett because she believed he was “the devil” and “the Antichrist.”
Corie Walsh, 40, is facing first-degree murder charges after her son was found dead at the family’s home in Illinois. Her lawyer said she had experienced a psychotic episode
Walsh’s husband, above with his wife and their kids, was out of state at the time of the incident. Officers said they found another infant unharmed in the family home
The document described how officers arrived at the Walsh home and found a neighbor in the front yard performing CPR on a toddler, later identified as Barrett.
Bear was declared to have died from ‘asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck,’ according to the documents.
Walsh was discovered by the neighbor upstairs lying in a bathtub ‘fully dressed, surrounded by bloody water,’ prosecutors said in the petition.
The neighbor held a towel on Walsh’s thigh after she had harmed herself with a knife in an alleged attempt to end her life, documents revealed.
Walsh’s husband was out of state at the time of the incident. Officers said they found another infant unharmed in the family home.
Two school-aged children also returned to the residence amid the chaos, according to the filing.
Walsh was taken to hospital and allegedly admitted to killing her son, officials said.
Neighbors said earlier this week that they were stunned by the tragedy, with resident Carolyn Pappas saying that the case bears eerie similarities to the case of Clancy.
Walsh was discovered by the neighbor upstairs lying in a bathtub ‘fully dressed, surrounded by bloody water,’ prosecutors said in the petition
Walsh was taken to hospital and allegedly admitted to killing her son, officials said. Above, the family home in Frankfort
Clancy’s case, which has captured the world, was ruled a mistrial on Friday
Clancy’s murder trial for the January 2023 killings of her three young children collapsed on Friday after jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
A mistrial means the prosecution will have the opportunity to try Clancy again. The trial will have to start over from jury selection.
Pappas told NBC Chicago: ‘This is just absolutely devastating, that this could be another Lindsay Clancy situation in our neighborhood, in our community.
‘You never think it’s going to hit so close to home. That absolutely makes us think of that.
‘And again, just more people, I think, are struggling than we realize and so we just need to be there for one another.’
Walsh was booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility on Friday on three counts of murder. She is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
