FRANKFORT, IL. (THECOUNT) — Corie Walsh, 40, is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Barrett, in an alleged hanging, attempting to take her own life and discussing a plan to kill her husband. The case has drawn particular attention because prosecutors say Walsh had been closely following the highly publicized Lindsay Clancy case before the alleged killing.
That connection has raised questions about whether Walsh’s alleged actions could represent a so-called copycat killing or whether the similarities instead stem from a severe mental-health crisis. Walsh’s defense attorney strongly rejects the copycat theory and maintains that she was experiencing a psychotic episode and was unaware of her actions.
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NBC 5 Chicago reported on Walsh’s bail hearing, where prosecutors outlined the allegations surrounding Barrett’s death and Walsh’s conduct before and after the killing.
Prosecutors allege Walsh hanged Barrett, causing his death by asphyxia. Authorities later found Walsh fully clothed in a bathtub with wounds to her wrists and thighs following what appeared to be an attempt to take her own life.
Prosecutors also said Walsh made statements about poisoning her husband with a drink, raising the allegation that she had considered killing him as well.
Investigators reportedly found evidence that Walsh was experiencing severe delusions around the time of Barrett’s death. She allegedly told investigators that the boy was “the devil” and apparently believed she had killed all of her children, even though Barrett was the only child who died.
The mental-health allegations are central to the defense. Attorney Robert Kerr told the court that Walsh is severely mentally ill and should receive immediate psychiatric treatment to prevent her from harming herself or others.
Kerr said Walsh was experiencing a psychotic episode when Barrett died and said she had been diagnosed at a hospital with what he described as “grief psychotic disorder.”
The connection to Clancy emerged because Walsh was reportedly following that case during the period surrounding Clancy’s jury deliberations. Clancy, a Massachusetts mother, was accused of killing her three children in January 2023. Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for the deaths.
Clancy’s case recently ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The case had received extensive national attention, particularly because of the competing prosecution and defense claims about Clancy’s mental state.
During that period, Walsh allegedly sent frantic and confusing messages to friends. In one message on September 1, prosecutors say Walsh wrote, “It was manslaughter, please I’m really freaking out.”
Walsh also allegedly appeared at times to believe that Patrick Clancy, Lindsay Clancy’s husband, was responsible for the deaths of the couple’s children rather than Lindsay Clancy.
Those reported references to the Clancy case have fueled the copycat theory surrounding Walsh’s alleged actions. The theory suggests that Walsh may have consciously imitated elements of the highly publicized Massachusetts case.
Kerr has strongly rejected that characterization, calling the idea of Walsh being a Lindsay Clancy copycat “sickening.” He maintains that the similarities should instead be viewed in the context of Walsh’s alleged psychiatric crisis.
Walsh’s husband has reportedly continued to support her. Kerr told the court that she has his “unwavering” support.
At this point, Walsh’s actual mental state at the time of Barrett’s death remains a central question for the court and mental-health experts. The publicly reported allegations establish a connection between Walsh and the Clancy case, but they do not establish that Walsh deliberately copied Clancy.
The case will ultimately turn on the evidence surrounding Barrett’s death, Walsh’s alleged statements and behavior, her psychiatric condition and whether she can be held legally responsible for her actions.
Walsh remains accused in the case, and the allegations against her have not been proven in court. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Frankfort is a village in Will County in northeastern Illinois, approximately 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago and part of the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
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