Illinois mom sent twisted texts about Lindsay Clancy before hanging her own son, 2, court told
An Illinois mother accused of gruesomely murdering her two-year-old son gushed about planning a trip to Disney World before he was killed.
Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with first-degree murder after her son, Barrett ‘Bear’ Walsh, was found hanged in the basement of their family home on September 1.
Prosecutors shared disturbing new details about the alleged murder and the mother’s interest in the Lindsay Clancy trial as she appeared in court for a detention hearing on Tuesday.
Neighbors discovered the boy hanging from a rafter in the basement of the family´s suburban Chicago home, prosecutors said.
Walsh allegedly used a ‘not particularly sharp’ kitchen knife to cut her wrist and thighs, and was found lying in a bathtub.
Prosecutors argued that Walsh was actively discussing the Clancy case in a group chat on the day of the killing, and claimed that Walsh had intended to poison her husband.
‘She was going to poison him with a drink. She had a drink and a number of prescription bottles on the table,’ the prosecutor said.
Walsh’s defense team, which is led by Casey Anthony’s former lawyer Andrea Lyon, criticized the characterization of a ‘copycat theory,’ and claimed that media attention around the Clancy trial ‘just happened to coincide with Corie’s psychosis.’
Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with first-degree murder after her son, Barrett ‘Bear’ Walsh, was found hanged in the basement of their family home on September 1
A judge heard on Tuesday that Walsh gushed about planning a trip to Disney World before he was killed
On the day of Bear’s alleged murder, Walsh and her mother were planning a trip to Disney World, according to her lawyer.
‘Of all her children, she was most excited for [Bear] to go on the trip to Disney. She couldn’t wait to see his face when he met Bluey and Mickey,’ her attorney said.
The defense also insisted that Walsh was in a group chat that peddled baseless conspiracy theories about Clancy’s husband, Patrick, but on the day of Bear’s death, she seemed to change her mind.
Walsh allegedly texted her friends: ‘It’s manslaughter. Please help. I’m really freaking out.’
Jurors were deliberating murder charges against Clancy when Walsh sent the message, but the case ultimately ended in a mistrial on Friday.
Clancy admitted to strangling her three children in January 2023, but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis and overmedication.
Patrick Clancy’s attorney on Tuesday slammed any conspiracy theories about his client as misinformation and threatened legal action against anyone who continued to spread ‘vile claims.’
As with Clancy’s defense, Walsh’s lawyer said their client was suffering a ‘psychotic episode.’
According to the prosecution, Walsh told police she killed Bear as he was ‘the devil’ and ‘the Antichrist.’
Neighbors discovered the boy hanging from a rafter in the basement of the family´s suburban Chicago home
Prosecutors also claimed that Walsh intended to kill her husband
Walsh’s attorneys claimed that her husband and their families are all supporting her and feel she was suffering a mental health crisis.
The defense asked that Walsh be released to her mother pending trial so she can receive psychiatric treatment.
Ultimately, the judge ruled that Walsh will be held in jail and the State Attorney’s Office must ensure she gets proper medical treatment.
Her next court appearance has been scheduled for September 24.
