The husband of an Illinois woman charged in the death of her 2-year-old son is continuing to support her, her attorney says, despite prosecutors’ allegations that she considered poisoning him and had become fixated on the Lindsay Clancy case. Defense lawyers contend the incident occurred while she was in the grip of a psychotic episode.
Corie Walsh, 38, allegedly told police she killed her son, Barrett, on Sept. 1 because she believed the toddler was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ,” according to court documents obtained by News Media. Authorities said the child was discovered hanging from a basement rafter.
A neighbor found Barrett, began CPR and called 911. Court records state that the child was cold and had no pulse when he was located. He was later pronounced dead at New Lenox Hospital. Officials ruled that the 2-year-old died from asphyxia caused by ligature compression to the neck. Walsh was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of self-inflicted cuts to her wrists and thighs.
Walsh’s legal team said both her husband and her mother remain steadfast 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, as Barrett’s funeral was being held that same day.
Andrea Lyon, one of Walsh’s defense attorneys and a former member of Casey Anthony’s defense team, told News Media that mental illness was at the center of the devastating case.
“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.”
While Lyon said Walsh was psychotic at the time, she rejected prosecutors’ suggestion that Walsh’s interest in the Clancy case was tied to the alleged killing.
“They are not correlated at all. It’s just accidental,” Lyon said, calling claims that the Illinois mother’s case was 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)
Court documents indicate that Walsh had “recently become very invested” in the murder trial for Clancy, who was accused of murdering her three children. Clancy acknowledged she killed her children, but argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.
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)
Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told News Media that a psychiatric defense rarely succeeds in cases like this one, and is more common in adult cases than those involving children.
“It’s very rare. It’s more predominant in adult cases,” Roy said. “Cases like this are, 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 Media reached out to Walsh’s attorney and her husband for comment.