Illinois Mom 'Fixated' on Lindsay Clancy was in a 'Psychotic Episode' When Son, 2, was Killed,' Lawyer Says — Even as Prosecutors Allege She was Plotting to Poison Husband
Corie Walsh suffered a 'psychotic episode' while killing her son, her lawyer said.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
A mother accused of strangling her 2-year-old son was suffering a "psychotic episode" when the horrific crime went down, according to her defense attorney, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Corie Walsh, who is said to have been fixated on Lindsay Clancy before the alleged incident, was also plotting to poison her husband Michael, prosecutors say.
Corie Walsh Accused of Killing Son
Corie Walsh is said to have been fixated on the Clancy case before she allegedly killed her son.
Walsh's lawyers have accused jail officials of failing to provide their client with her prescribed psychiatric medication after hospital doctors recommended she receive constant psychiatric care upon her discharge.
The 40-year-old Illinois mother is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly hanging her son, Barrett, from a basement rafter before attempting to take her own life with a knife. She was reportedly closely following Clancy's trial over the killings of her three children.
Clancy's case was declared a mistrial after one juror reportedly refused to budge from their guilty verdict, as the other 11 jurors were ready to find the 36-year-old not guilty after evidence that she was desperate for mental help.
Now, in an eerily similar case, Walsh's mental health has also come under the spotlight. "This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child," Walsh's attorney Andrea Lyon said.
Corie Walsh Suffered 'Psychotic Episode'
Walsh allegedly confessed to killing her son because she believed the 2-year-old was the 'devil.'
"It is also a tragedy in that Corie herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened," she noted. However, experts have pointed out that a psychiatric diagnosis alone does not determine whether someone meets Illinois' legal standard for insanity.
Clinical professor Richard S. Kling told Fox News Digital: "The definition of insanity is, as a result of a mental defect or disability, that you're unable to appreciate the criminality of your conduct."
Walsh, a mother of four, was allegedly "actively discussing" the Clancy trial via text just hours before her son's body was found in the basement of their home by a neighbor on September 1.
Walsh was found upstairs and allegedly confessed to officers that she killed the toddler because she believed he was the "devil" and the "Antichrist."
Accused Killer Was Treated for Self-Inflicted Wounds
The 40-year-old was also plotting to poison her husband, according to prosecutors.
The neighbor also told authorities she had discovered Walsh with a knife, with the mom allegedly claiming she "was trying to kill herself."
After her arrest, Walsh was treated at a hospital for self-inflicted wounds to her wrists and thighs, and according to her legal team, doctors recommended she receive 24/7 psychiatric care.
While she had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors allege Walsh was planning to poison her husband, although details of the alleged plot have yet to be revealed.
Michael was traveling out of state when Barrett was killed.
How Many Years Behind Bars Is Corie Walsh Facing If Convicted?
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The Illinois mother faces up too 100 years behind bars if convicted.
Meanwhile, a former classmate of Walsh told TMZ that the accused killer was "beautiful, kind, intelligent, talented, and giving." According to the pal, Walsh got along well with others and participated in the Helping Hands club, senior Powderpuff games, and liturgy through Catholic Mass while in school together.
"Never in a million years could I have imagined something so tragic," the friend said of the tragedy, and added that the story is heartbreaking, "most especially for the loss of an innocent little boy."
Walsh could be sentenced to up to 100 years behind bars if convicted.
