Illinois mother charged with murder of 2-year-old after texting about high-profile trial

Corie Walsh, a 40-year-old resident of Frankfort, Illinois, was charged Friday with first-degree murder after prosecutors say she strangled her 2-year-old son, Barrett Walsh, on Tuesday. Court documents indicate Walsh was actively discussing the ongoing Lindsay Clancy murder trial with friends via a group text up until about 12:30 p.m. that day, despite the trial taking place more than 1,000 miles away.

Police were called to Walsh’s home around 4 p.m. after a neighbor found the toddler unresponsive in the basement. Emergency responders pronounced the child dead at a hospital later that afternoon. An autopsy by the Will County Coroner’s Office found the cause of death to be asphyxia from ligature compression of the neck, with final findings pending.

According to court filings, Walsh told officers she killed her son because she believed he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.” She was later found in a bathroom with self-inflicted injuries and a knife, which a neighbor removed. Walsh was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries; her three other children were unharmed.

"This is a tragedy, for the Walsh family all of whom are mourning the loss of this child," said Walsh’s attorney, Andrea Lyon. "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."

Walsh remains in custody at the Will County Adult Detention Facility pending a detention hearing. Prosecutors have asked the court to deny her pre-trial release, citing statements that she threatened further harm to her other children and her husband. The investigation continues, with forensic analysis of Walsh’s phone and the knife taken as evidence.