Corie Walsh’s husband sat in court to support her as she pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Walsh, 40, appeared in bright red jail garb with her hair tied back for the preliminary hearing in the case that has drawn national attention to the Frankfort, Illinois, family. Her husband’s presence marked a striking show of solidarity as prosecutors detailed the harrowing allegations against the mother of three.
Barrett Walsh, the couple’s 2-year-old son who was affectionately called “Bear,” was found dead in the basement of the family’s suburban home on September 1. The toddler’s two older siblings discovered him with a rope around his neck and his feet off the ground, according to court documents. They ran to a neighbor’s house for help.
The frantic neighbor called 911 and attempted CPR, but the child had no pulse and was cold to the touch. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed Barrett died of “asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck,” court records show.
The family’s home sits in Frankfort, a suburb about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, where the Walshes had been raising their three children. What appeared from the outside as an ordinary household was, according to prosecutors, the site of an unthinkable act that left a toddler dangling from a rafter.
Walsh was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son. Following the discovery of Barrett’s body, she also allegedly attempted to kill herself, adding another layer of tragedy to an already devastating scene.
The case has drawn comparisons to another high-profile matter involving a mother accused of killing her children. Prosecutors have noted that Walsh was deeply focused on the Lindsay Clancy trial, the Massachusetts case in which a mother allegedly strangled her three young children before attempting suicide. The extent of that fixation and whether it played any role in Barrett’s death remain central questions as the legal proceedings unfold.
Walsh’s defense is now being led by an attorney with notable experience in high-profile cases involving mothers accused of killing their children. The legal team has indicated plans to pursue an insanity defense, a strategy that would require demonstrating Walsh lacked the capacity to understand the criminality of her actions or conform her conduct to the law at the time of the alleged offense.
The insanity defense announcement came during Thursday’s proceedings, where Walsh formally entered her not guilty plea. Such defenses in cases involving filicide typically hinge on psychiatric evaluations and expert testimony about the defendant’s mental state, often focusing on postpartum or other maternal mental health conditions.
The case now moves toward further court proceedings as both sides prepare for what is likely to be a closely watched trial. Walsh remains held in custody following the hearing, with the evidence against her and the planned defense strategy now both on the record.
Walsh is expected to return to court Thursday.