Accused Lindsay Clancy 'Copycat' Corie Walsh's Ex-Pal 'Shocked' by Alleged Brutal Killing of Her 2-Year-Old Son
A high school friend of alleged Lindsay Clancy 'copycat' Corie Walsh called the situation 'tragic.'
Sept. 10 2026, Updated 1:55 p.m. ET
Alleged Lindsay Clancy "copycat" killer Corie Walsh's high school pal remembers her as "kind and giving" and insists the Illinois mom's alleged murder of her 2-year-old son is "not at all" the person she knew, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 40-year-old is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly hanging her 2-year-old son, Barrett, from a basement rafter before attempting to take her own life with a knife, all while reportedly closely following Clancy's trial over the killings of her three children.
'Never in a Million Years Could I Have Imagined Something So Tragic'
Corie Walsh's high school friend described her as 'kind, intelligent, talented, and giving.'
The former classmate told TMZ that Walsh was "beautiful, kind, intelligent, talented, and giving." They previously attended a small Catholic high school together, but the women hadn't spoken since graduation.
While the friend didn't want to be named, she recalled that Walsh got along well with others and participated in Helping Hands club, senior Powderpuff games, and liturgy through Catholic Mass.
When the pal learned of the horrific circumstances surrounding Walsh allegedly killing her son during a "psychotic episode" before harming herself, she was stunned.
"Never in a million years could I have imagined something so tragic," she claimed.
Walsh reportedly told investigators after her arrest that she believed her son was the "devil" and "anti-Christ," which the high school friend found curious. She said that was "not at all" in line with the Walsh she knew, adding, "None of us were church freaks," even though they regularly attended Mass as part of the school's curriculum.
The classmate didn't want to speculate about what her former friend's life had been like since they last spoke, but said the story is heartbreaking, "most especially for the loss of an innocent little boy."
Corie Walsh Accused of Killing Her Son
Corie Walsh allegedly murdered her son and then tried to take her own life.
Walsh's case bears chilling similarities to Clancy's, and the mom-of-four was allegedly "actively discussing" the trial via text just hours before her son's body was found in the basement of their Frankfort, Illinois, home on September 1.
She and her husband also share two school-age children and a 7-month-old baby, none of whom were harmed.
A neighbor reportedly found Barrett in the basement unresponsive and called 911, according to evidence presented by prosecutors at a September 8 hearing.
Walsh was found upstairs and allegedly confessed to officers that she killed the toddler because she believed he was the "devil" and the "Antichrist." The neighbor also told cops she had discovered Walsh with a knife, with the mom allegedly claiming she "was trying to kill herself."
Corie Walsh Case Has Disturbing Similarities to Lindsay Clancy
Lindsay Clancy murdered her three young children while allegedly having a "psychotic episode."
A Massachusetts jury deadlocked on Clancy's case, 11-1, in favor of not guilty by reason of insanity following a closely watched trial that gripped viewers and sparked debates on women's mental health and postpartum depression.
Clancy killed her three young children in the basement of their Duxbury home in January 2023, strangling them one by one with exercise bands after sending her husband on errands. She then allegedly tried to take her own life by cutting her neck and jumping from a second-story window during a "psychotic episode."
Corie Walsh's Attorneys Claim She Was Having a 'Psychotic Episode'
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Andrea Lyon, who formerly represented Casey Anthony, claimed Corie Walsh was experiencing a "psychotic episode" when she allegedly killed her son.
A Will County judge ordered Walsh detained following the killing, saying: "I can't make this decision out of compassion or empathy. There is clear and convincing evidence that she is involved in (a) first-degree murder offense and is a clear and present threat to her husband and other children."
While Walsh's co-lead defense attorney Andrea Lyon called it a family "tragedy," she went on to add, "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."
