Mother accused of killing toddler was obsessed with Lindsay Clancy case, prosecutors say
Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno is weighing in on the murder case involving Illinois mother Corie Walsh, as well as the possible early release timeline for Erik and Lyle Menendez. Rotunno examined what she described as a lack of documented mental health treatment for Walsh after the death of her 2-year-old son in the basement of the family home. She also addressed the possibility of second-degree murder charges in a retrial for Lindsay Clancy and the California parole board’s decision to move the Menendez brothers’ hearing to early 2027.
A Frankfort, Illinois, mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son had reportedly been talking with friends about the closely watched Lindsay Clancy murder trial only hours before her child was found dead, according to court records. She has since retained one of Casey Anthony’s former attorneys to represent her.
Corie A. Walsh, 38, allegedly told police she killed her son because she believed the boy was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ,” according to a petition obtained by Fox 32 in Chicago that seeks to keep her detained before trial.
Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder in the death of her son, Barrett Walsh. While the court filing references her interest in the Clancy case, it does not claim that the case played a role in Barrett’s death.
Her attorney, Andrea Lyon, said Walsh was “psychotic” at the time and pushed back strongly against any suggestion that her client’s discussions about the Clancy case were tied to the alleged killing.
Corie A. Walsh, 38, is shown in a booking photo released by law enforcement. Prosecutors are asking a judge to keep her in custody ahead of trial in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son. (Will County Detention Facility)
“They are not correlated at all. It’s just accidental,” Lyon said, dismissing claims that Walsh may have been motivated by a copycat scenario as “baseless and cruel.”
According to court documents, Frankfort police responded to a home in the 22700 block of Brook Stone Court shortly after 4 p.m. on Sept. 1 following a report of an injured child.
Upon arrival, officers found a neighbor performing CPR on Barrett after she reportedly discovered the toddler hanging from a basement rafter with his feet off the ground.
The neighbor brought Barrett down, laid him on the floor and attempted CPR while calling 911, later telling police the boy was cold and had no pulse. Barrett was pronounced dead at the scene, and a preliminary autopsy determined he died of asphyxia caused by strangulation, according to the filing.
Walsh’s three other children were unharmed, including an infant who was in the house at the time and two school-aged children who returned home around the time Barrett was found. Her husband was traveling out of state when the incident occurred and flew home that evening.
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)
While officers were at the house, they were directed to an upstairs master bathroom where Walsh was reportedly trying to harm herself.
The petition states Walsh was lying fully dressed in a bathtub surrounded by bloody water while a neighbor held a towel against her left inner thigh. The neighbor told investigators she had disarmed Walsh of a knife and thrown it into a sink.
Police recovered the knife into evidence while documenting cuts on Walsh’s wrists and thighs, court documents state.
Corie Walsh, top left, pictured with her husband and children wearing matching holiday pajamas on a couch. (CREDIT: Facebook/ Corie Walsh)
The neighbor told investigators that Walsh asked why she had taken the knife from her because she was trying to kill herself. Walsh then said “Bear” was in the basement – referencing a known nickname for Barrett, the petition notes.
While hospitalized, Walsh made additional statements to investigators describing how she killed the toddler, which prosecutors noted were consistent with the physical evidence.
Witnesses told investigators Walsh had recently become “very invested” in the Clancy murder trial, which involved a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children.
Police tape surrounds the Frankfort, Illinois, home where a 2-year-old boy died. (FOX 32 Chicago)
Walsh allegedly discussed the Clancy case in a group text message with friends as recently as 12:30 p.m. Sept. 1 – roughly three and a half hours before Barrett was found. Her cellphone was recovered from the bathroom, and forensic analysis of the device was ongoing as of Sept. 3.
Prosecutors are asking a judge to deny Walsh pretrial release, arguing that she poses a real and present threat to her husband and her three surviving children.
Walsh faces three counts of first-degree murder, with prosecutors outlining different legal theories regarding her intent. Because Barrett was 2 years old, a conviction carries a mandatory sentence of 60 to 100 years in prison without the possibility of early release.
Walsh remains hospitalized at Silver Cross Hospital and is expected to be transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility once medically released.
Walsh’s defense team includes attorney Lyon, who previously represented Anthony. In 2011, Anthony was acquitted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, whose death remains unsolved.
A jury found Anthony guilty of lying to law enforcement but not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter or aggravated child abuse.
The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a detention hearing Tuesday, a judge denied Walsh’s request for pretrial release to a locked hospital setting. Lyon said the defense was disappointed but would continue investigating the case while Walsh recovers from her wounds.
Lyon said the defense will argue that Walsh was psychotic and that the charges do not amount to first-degree murder.
“She was psychotic. And this is not a first-degree murder,” she told reporters.
The defense may seek pretrial release again, Lyon said.
The case remains pending in Will County Circuit Court.
