Corie Walsh’s husband has broken his silence to voice support for the Illinois mother charged with murdering their two-year-old son.
Barrett Walsh, 2, was found not breathing in the basement of the family’s home on September 1, according to court testimony Tuesday. Will County Judge Amy Bertani ordered the 40-year-old mother held in custody, ruling that “there is clear and convincing evidence that she is involved in a first-degree murder offense and is a clear and present threat to husband and other children.”
Walsh’s husband was absent from the hearing. Her attorney, Robert Kerr, informed the court that he and Walsh’s mother were attending Barrett’s funeral at the time. Kerr relayed a message from the family nonetheless.
“They asked me to share their unwavering support of Corie,” Kerr told the court, per ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
The toddler’s death came just days before the conclusion of another case that had consumed national attention. Prosecutors revealed in court documents that Walsh had grown “very invested” in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who admitted killing her three children in 2023 but whose jury deadlocked on whether she was criminally responsible. That panel, after four days of deliberation, was prepared to enter a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity when a single holdout juror refused to agree, forcing Judge William F. Sullivan to declare a mistrial.
Walsh’s own mental state has become central to her defense. Andrea Lyon, a representative for the mother of four, released a statement on Sunday describing the circumstances of Barrett’s death.
“This is a tragedy for the Walsh family, all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Lyon wrote. “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.”
The events of September 1 unfolded with alarming speed. Officers responding to the home encountered Walsh, who allegedly told them she had killed her son, calling him “the devil” and “antichrist.” A neighbor discovered the unresponsive toddler in the basement while Walsh was found in a bathroom with a knife, telling the neighbor she was “trying to kill herself,” according to court documents.
Walsh faces a first-degree murder charge in the strangulation death of her son. She appeared in Will County Court on Tuesday, where Bertani’s custody ruling ended any prospect of her returning home to her husband and surviving children.
The Lindsay Clancy trial concluded with its hung jury shortly after Barrett Walsh’s death. The foreperson later told NBC10 Boston that the holdout juror had admitted to reasonable doubt yet still blocked the insanity verdict.
“I wrote my signature on each one, and then he said, ‘But I’m still not going to say she’s not guilty by reason of insanity’,” the foreperson recounted.
Walsh remains in custody as her defense prepares to present evidence of her claimed psychotic episode. No date has been set for her next court appearance.
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