JOLIET, Ill. – A Will County judge ordered Corie Walsh, 40, held in custody Tuesday, denying her request for release following her arrest on a first-degree murder charge in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett Walsh. Walsh, a mother of four, is accused of killing her son on Sept. 1.

During her first court appearance, Walsh appeared in handcuffs and shackles, at times putting her head down and crying. Judge Amy Bertani stated there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Walsh was involved in a first-degree murder offense and posed a "clear and present threat to [her] husband and other children."

Prosecutors presented evidence that officers responded to the family's home in Frankfort, Illinois, on the afternoon of Sept. 1, where they found a neighbor performing CPR on Barrett. The neighbor told authorities they discovered the child cold and without a pulse in the basement and subsequently called 911. Walsh was found upstairs and allegedly told officers she killed the toddler because she believed he was the "devil" and the "Antichrist." The neighbor also reported seeing Walsh with a knife and that Walsh said she was attempting to take her own life, according to court filings.

An 8-month-old infant was also found unsupervised in the home but was unharmed, according to prosecutors.

Walsh's defense attorneys, Robert Kerr and Andrea Lyon, stated that Walsh was experiencing a "psychotic episode" when the alleged killing occurred. Lyon, who previously served as co-lead defense counsel for Casey Anthony, released a statement calling the event a "tragedy for the Walsh family" and expressing hope that a thorough investigation would reveal the "heartbreak for what it is."

Neither Walsh's husband nor her three other children were injured. Walsh's husband and mother were not present at the court hearing as they were attending Barrett's funeral. Kerr conveyed to the court that both the husband and mother offered their "unwavering support of Corie."

According to a petition to deny pre-trial release, Walsh was "actively discussing" the Lindsay Clancy case in text messages up to three-and-a-half hours before her child was discovered. Clancy faces murder charges for the deaths of her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. Her trial ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4.

Walsh's next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 24.