Corie Walsh, a 40-year-old Illinois mother charged in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett, pleaded not guilty Thursday as her husband looked on. Prosecutors have also accused her of trying to poison him.
Walsh appeared at a preliminary hearing, where her husband, Michael Walsh, was in attendance.
Prosecutors allege that Walsh strangled Barrett and left him suspended from a rafter before attempting suicide on Sept. 1 during what they describe as a “psychotic episode.”
Following Thursday’s hearing, Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, said members of her client’s family had come to court to support her.
“They love her, and this is not — she’s never been violent. … She was psychotic,” Lyon said, according to the New York Post. “They all know that and want her to get better. This is not who she is.”
Michael Walsh leaves the Will County Courthouse Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Joliet, Ill. His wife, Corie Walsh, was arraigned on murder charges in the Sept. 1 death of their 2-year-old son. (Kamil Krzaczynski for News Media)
Lyon previously told News Media that Michael Walsh has continued to stand by his wife throughout the case.
Corie A. Walsh, 38, appears in a booking photo released by law enforcement. (Will County Detention Facility)
Michael Walsh leaves the Will County Courthouse after his wife’s hearing Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Joliet, Ill. (Kamil Krzaczynski for News Media)
In addition to accusing Walsh of killing the couple’s son, prosecutors say she planned to poison her husband while fixated on the Lindsay Clancy trial.
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A family photograph of Corie Walsh, left, appears beside her booking mugshot following her arrest on first-degree murder charges in Will County, Ill. (Facebook/Corie Walsh; Will County Detention Facility)
Michael Walsh arrives at the Will County Courthouse Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Joliet, Ill. (Kamil Krzaczynski for News Media)
Lyon, who once represented Casey Anthony, said at a post-hearing news conference that her legal team had subpoenaed treatment records from the jail where Walsh is being held, the Post reported.
Michael Walsh arrives at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Ill. (Kamil Krzaczynski for News Media)
Walsh’s defense is seeking her release from custody so she can receive treatment at a hospital.
Earlier this month, a judge rejected Walsh’s request for release, News Media previously reported. Prosecutors argued that doing so would be “too dangerous” because she remained a potential threat to her husband and their three surviving children.
Corie Walsh’s husband leaves the Will County Courthouse after her hearing Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Joliet, Ill. (Kamil Krzaczynski for News Media)
“Her whole family is here today — her husband, mother, mother’s best friend,” Lyon said Thursday.
“At today’s hearing, Ms. Walsh entered a plea of not guilty. The defense continues to seek her release so she can receive appropriate psychiatric treatment. We have no additional comment at this time,” Lyon told News Media.
News Media contacted Michael Walsh for comment.