Illinois woman with reported interest in Lindsay Clancy case ordered to be held in jail for alleged murder of her son

Joliet, Illinois (CNN) — An Illinois woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son last week was ordered to be held in jail during a court appearance Tuesday morning as she faces three counts of first-degree murder.

Corie Walsh, 40, of Frankfort – an Illinois village southwest of Chicago – is accused of strangling her son Barrett Walsh to death, according to court documents.

Walsh, wearing a red jail uniform with her hair in a bun, mostly kept her head down during the court hearing. Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak denied a request for release saying there were “compelling reasons for detainment.”

Witnesses told police Walsh “had recently become very invested in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial,” talking about it regularly in a group chat with friends within hours of when her son was found unresponsive.

In court Tuesday, a defense attorney for Walsh accused investigators of overplaying any potential connection to the Clancy case, calling it careless and insensitive.

Robert Kerr described the suggestion as “sickening.”

Clancy was charged with three counts of murder for the 2023 deaths of her three children in Massachusetts. Clancy acknowledged killing them but her defense said she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis that was not properly treated. Clancy had also told witnesses after the killings she had heard a male voice telling her to kill her children and herself.

In the Illinois case, police discovered Barrett in the basement of the family’s home the afternoon of September 1. A neighbor told police she found him with a cord around his neck, according to a court document. Corie Walsh was discovered upstairs, bloodied after apparently cutting herself with a knife, responding officers reported. She told the police Barrett was the “devil” and “anti-Christ,” according to court documents.

In the immediate aftermath of first responders’ arrival, first responders said Walsh was incoherent, yelling the names of fruits and singing “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” Kerr told a judge. Then, the defense attorney asked for his client to receive 24-hour psychiatric care while in custody.

Two school-aged children returned home and called a neighbor for help, the prosecutor said Tuesday. An infant was also found on the main floor of the home. Walsh’s three children were all unharmed and later evaluated at the hospital as a precaution. Her husband, Michael, was out of state at the time, according to investigators. He did not attend Tuesday’s court hearing for his wife because he was at Barrett’s funeral, Kerr said.

Kerr acknowledged Walsh’s fascination with the Clancy case, but said in court Tuesday his client was in a “state of psychosis” that coincided with the trial in Massachusetts. Kerr argued Walsh poses no threat to the community.

“We feel very strongly about what Corie needs, the attention she needs. We’re going to continue fighting for that. This is not a case of first-degree murder; it’s anything but that,” Kerr told reporters after the hearing.

Walsh was treated at a local hospital for four days before being transferred to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where she is being held without bond.

“The defendant poses a specific, real, and present threat to her husband and her living three children,” prosecutors said in their filed request to deny Walsh’s release.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services told CNN it had never been previously called to the Walsh home.

An autopsy was conducted on the child last week.

“Final cause and manner will be determined following Autopsy, Police and Toxicological reports,” the Will County Coroner’s Office said.

Although Barrett was the only victim, prosecutors filed three first-degree murder counts against Walsh under three different legal theories. Under the first theory, prosecutors must prove she killed her son “with the intent to kill or do great bodily harm.” Under the second theory, prosecutors must prove she killed her son “knowing that such an act would cause death” to her son. Under the third theory, prosecutors must prove she killed her son “knowing such act created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm” to her son.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, their loved ones, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy,” the Frankfort Police Department said in a statement last week.

Another defense attorney for Walsh called the death a “heartbreak.”

“This is a tragedy, for the Walsh family all of whom are mourning the loss of this child,” Andrea Lyon said in a statement to CNN. “It is also a tragedy in that (Corie) herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened.”

Nearly two decades ago, Lyon briefly served on the defense team of Casey Anthony, the Florida woman who was acquitted of murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee following a sensationalized six-week trial.

The Clancy case, which sparked a passionate public debate about maternal mental health, ended in a mistrial Friday when one holdout deadlocked the jury. Prosecutors in that case – who argued Clancy killed her children “intentionally, rationally and swiftly” – have not yet announced whether they plan to pursue a second trial.

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This story was written by CNN’s Andy Rose in Atlanta with reporting from CNN’s Whitney Wild in Joliet, Illinois.

CNN’s Nicki Brown, Amanda Watts, Gloria Pazmino, Dalia Faheid and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.