An Illinois woman charged with the murder of her two-year-old son was reportedly following the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, according to prosecutors. Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her son, Barrett, was found dead in the basement of their suburban Chicago home last Tuesday.
Prosecutors stated that Ms Walsh had become "very invested" in the nationally watched Clancy trial, discussing it with friends until approximately 12:30pm on the day her son was found. A neighbour discovered Barrett less than four hours later.
Ms Walsh was found elsewhere in the home with injuries described by authorities as self-inflicted. Prosecutors said she later told investigators she killed her son because she believed he was the "devil" and the "anti-Christ". Her attorney, Andrea Lyon, stated that Ms Walsh was experiencing a psychotic episode and described the boy's death as a tragedy for the family.
Police were called to Ms Walsh's home in Frankfort, Illinois, shortly before 4pm after the neighbour found Barrett in the basement. The boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, with an autopsy determining the cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck.
Authorities in Illinois have not alleged that the Clancy trial played a role in the killing of Ms Walsh's son, and no public evidence so far establishes a connection beyond her discussion of the case.