Illinois woman charged with killing 2-year-old son was closely following Lindsay Clancy murder trial
Corie Walsh was texting friends about the Clancy case hours before her son Barrett was found dead in her basement with injuries consistent with asphyxiation.
What happened
Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her two-year-old son Barrett was found dead in the basement of her Frankfort, Illinois home last Tuesday. Prosecutors said Walsh had been closely following the trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy and was discussing it with friends until approximately 12:30 p.m. that day; a neighbor discovered Barrett less than four hours later. An autopsy determined Barrett died from asphyxia caused by ligature compression of the neck. Walsh was found elsewhere in the home with self-inflicted cuts to her wrists and thighs and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. According to prosecutors, Walsh told investigators she killed her son because she believed he was the "devil" and the "anti-Christ."
Context
The timing of Walsh's engagement with the Clancy trial—in which a mother was accused of killing three young children, with her defense arguing she suffered from postpartum psychosis while prosecutors contended she understood her actions—occurred in the same hours as Barrett's death. A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in Clancy's case days before Walsh's arrest when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Walsh's attorney stated she was experiencing a psychotic episode. However, authorities have not alleged that Clancy's trial played a causal role in the killing, and no publicly available evidence establishes a connection beyond Walsh's documented discussion of the case.