Corie Walsh’s defense team pushed back against “copycat” labels as prosecutors detailed an alleged murder plot against her husband during her first court appearance on Tuesday.
Walsh, 40, of Frankfort, Illinois, appeared before a judge for a bail hearing after being charged in the death of her 2-year-old son Barrett, who prosecutors say died from asphyxia after she hanged him. Her attorney, Robert Kerr, told the court that Walsh was “severely mentally ill” and had been diagnosed with “grief psychotic disorder” at the hospital following the alleged killing.
Kerr said doctors suggested Walsh be placed into “immediate” care to prevent her from harming herself, and he requested she remain in medical care rather than be held in jail. Her husband was not present in court, though Kerr told the judge he has “unwavering” support and love for his wife and has cooperated with police and social workers.
Prosecutors revealed Walsh had made statements about “poisoning [her husband] with a drink” and noted she had multiple prescription bottles in her possession. They also presented evidence that Walsh was so delusional she believed she had killed her other three children as well, though they were unharmed.
The case drew national attention after prosecutors disclosed that Walsh had been discussing the Lindsay Clancy trial with friends shortly before Barrett’s death. Clancy’s high-profile triple-murder case ended in a mistrial last Friday, just days before Walsh’s court appearance.
Kerr directly addressed the Clancy comparisons in court, telling the judge that “describing Corie to a copied Lindsay is to take an easy bait.” He called mentions of Walsh being a “Lindsay Clancy copycat” “sickening” and argued the connection was being overblown.
In the hours leading up to Barrett’s death, Walsh sent frantic messages to friends that were “confusing” and “out of character.” During jury deliberations in the Clancy trial on Sept. 1, she wrote to friends: “It was manslaughter, please I’m really freaking out.”
Walsh’s messages also showed she believed Clancy’s husband had killed their children, not their mother. A few hours after she sent that text, Barrett was found dead and Walsh was discovered in the bathroom fully clothed in a bathtub of bloody water, with wounds to her wrists and thighs, prosecutors said.
The defense maintained that Walsh was in the throes of a “psychotic episode” when she allegedly hanged Barrett and then attempted to take her own life.
Walsh remains charged with killing her son as her attorneys continue to argue for medical treatment over incarceration.