The husband of an Illinois woman accused of strangling their 2-year-old son during what her defense describes as a “psychotic episode” continues to support her. Prosecutors, however, allege that Corie Walsh also considered poisoning her husband while intensely following the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, according to her attorney.
Walsh, 38, told police she killed her son, Barrett, on Sept. 1 because she believed he was the “devil” and the “Antichrist,” court records obtained by News Outlet state. Authorities said the boy was discovered hanging from a basement rafter.
A neighbor found Barrett and began CPR while calling 911. Court documents say the child was “cold and had no pulse” when responders arrived. He was later pronounced dead at New Lenox Hospital. Officials determined that Barrett died from “asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck.” Walsh was treated at a nearby hospital for wounds to her wrists and thighs that authorities described as self-inflicted.
Walsh’s defense attorneys said her husband and mother remain unwavering in their love and support for her.
Corie A. Walsh, 38, in a booking photo provided by law enforcement. Prosecutors are asking a judge to deny her pretrial release following the death of her 2-year-old son. (Will County Detention Facility)
Neither Walsh’s husband nor her mother attended her Sept. 8 detention hearing because Barrett’s funeral was held that same day.
Andrea Lyon, one of Walsh’s attorneys and a former member of Casey Anthony’s defense team, said Walsh’s conduct was the result of severe mental illness.
“This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Lyon said in a statement to News Outlet. “It is also a tragedy in that Corie herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened.”
Although Lyon acknowledged that Walsh was experiencing psychosis, she rejected any link between Walsh’s interest in the Clancy case and the alleged killing.
“They are not correlated at all. It’s just accidental,” Lyon said, calling suggestions that Walsh carried out a copycat crime “baseless and cruel.”
Corie Walsh, right, poses with her husband and children inside a church. Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett. (CREDIT: Facebook/ Corie Walsh)
According to court records, Walsh had “recently become very invested” in the murder case involving Clancy, who was accused of killing her three children. Clancy admitted to the killings but maintained that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
The records say Walsh “had been actively discussing the [Clancy] case via group text message with her friends up until 12:30 PM on September 1, 2026, three and a half hours before the scene was discovered.”
Police tape surrounds the Frankfort, Illinois, home where officers found an unresponsive 2-year-old boy. (Fox 32 Chicago)
Eugene Roy, a retired Chicago police chief of detectives, told News Outlet that psychiatric defenses seldom succeed in cases of this nature. He said they are more frequently raised in adult cases than in prosecutions involving children.
“It’s very rare. It’s more predominant in adult cases,” Roy said. “Cases like this, with children involved, because of the publicity and just the pain it causes the community, are what we call heaters. There’s a lot of media focus on them. There’s a lot of attention. There’s a lot of demands to resolve the case promptly.”
Lindsay Clancy in court last month. (Boston Globe via Getty Images)
News Outlet contacted Walsh’s attorney and her husband seeking additional comment.
