The tragic case of Corie Walsh has taken an even more disturbing turn, with court documents revealing that the 40-year-old Illinois mother had become “very invested” in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial just hours before she allegedly killed her own 2-year-old son, Barrett Walsh.
According to court filings obtained by WLS, Walsh had been actively discussing the Clancy trial—which centered on a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children—in a group text with friends until 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. By 4:00 p.m. that same day, Frankfort police were responding to her home, where they found the toddler unresponsive.
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The neighbor who discovered the scene told authorities she found the little boy lifeless in the basement, while Walsh was reportedly found in the bathroom with a knife, attempting to harm herself. Prosecutors allege that Walsh told officers she killed her son because he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.”
Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon, confirmed that her client had been suffering from a severe mental health crisis. “This is a tragedy, for the Walsh family all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Lyon said in a statement. “It is also a tragedy in that [Corie] herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened. 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.”
The tragedy unfolded as the nation was already fixated on the Clancy trial, which concluded Friday with a mistrial after the jury remained deadlocked. While the prosecution in that case argued Clancy acted “intentionally, rationally, and swiftly,” the defense maintained she was suffering from postpartum psychosis—a defense now being echoed in the Walsh case.
Walsh is currently being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility while awaiting a detention hearing. Prosecutors are pushing to keep her in custody, citing statements she allegedly made about harming her husband and her other three children, who were fortunately unharmed during the incident.
Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Barrett died from asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck.