New Lenox Mother’s Husband Backs Her Amid Claims of Psychotic Episode in Toddler’s Death

The husband of a New Lenox woman accused of killing their 2-year-old son is standing by her, according to her defense attorney, even as prosecutors allege she also plotted to poison him amid a fixation on the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.

Corie Walsh, 38, told officers she killed her son Barrett on Sept. 1 because she believed he was the “devil” and “Antichrist,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The 2-year-old was found hanging in the basement of the family’s home from a rafter, officials said.

A neighbor discovered the toddler and began CPR while calling 911. Court documents describe Barrett as “cold and had no pulse” when found. He was pronounced dead later that day at New Lenox Hospital. His cause of death was ruled asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck. Walsh was treated at a local hospital for self-inflicted wounds to her wrists and thighs.

Walsh’s husband and mother did not attend her detention hearing on Sept. 8 because it fell on the same day as Barrett’s funeral. Her defense attorneys say the two “have unwavering love and support” for her.

Attorney Points to Mental Illness

Andrea Lyon, a defense attorney for Walsh who previously served on Casey Anthony’s defense team, said Walsh’s actions stemmed from mental illness rather than any premeditated plan.

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

Court documents state Walsh had “recently become very invested” in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three children, who has acknowledged the killings but argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis. According to the documents, Walsh had been discussing the Clancy case in a group text with friends until 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 — about three and a half hours before Barrett was found.

Lyon rejected any link between that interest and the allegations against her client. “They are not correlated at all. It’s just accidental,” Lyon said, calling any suggestion of a copycat crime “baseless and cruel.”

Rare Defense in Cases Involving Children

Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy said psychiatric defenses rarely succeed in cases like this, and are more commonly raised in cases involving adult victims than children.

“It’s very rare. It’s more predominant in adult cases,” Roy said. “Cases like this are, with children involved, because of the publicity and just the pain it causes the community are what we call heaters. There’s a lot of media focus on them. There’s a lot of attention. There’s a lot of demands to resolve the case promptly.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Walsh’s attorney and her husband for comment.