Trial Begins For Mom Accused Of Strangling Her 3 Children As Defense Blames Rare Mental Illness

A Massachusetts assemblage is group to face 1 of nan astir harrowing criminal cases successful caller representation arsenic nan execution proceedings of Lindsay Clancy begins Monday, much than 3 years aft prosecutors opportunity she strangled her 3 young children wrong nan family's home.

At nan bosom of nan proceedings is simply a mobility that has divided ineligible and aesculapian experts: Was Clancy a calculating killer, aliases was she gripped by a uncommon psychiatric unwellness that near her incapable to understand what she was doing?

Prosecutors opportunity nan erstwhile Massachusetts General Hospital labour and transportation caregiver cautiously planned nan Jan. 24, 2023, killings. They allege she sent her husband, Patrick Clancy, retired connected errands earlier strangling their children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan — wrong their Duxbury home.

Her defense paints a starkly different picture.

Attorney Kevin Reddington argues Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a uncommon but terrible intelligence unwellness that tin create aft childbirth. According to nan defense, she had spent months desperately seeking thief arsenic her intelligence wellness spiraled.

After nan commencement of her 3rd child, Clancy reportedly became manic, struggled to slumber and was plagued by thoughts of harming herself. She sought curen from specialists successful postpartum temper disorders, was prescribed aggregate psychiatric medications and yet admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital. Nineteen days aft being discharged, prosecutors opportunity she killed her children.

Reddington has said Clancy told doctors she heard voices connected nan time of nan killings telling her: "This is your past chance. Kill nan children truthful you tin termination yourself."

After nan children's deaths, Clancy jumped from a second-story window, leaving her paralyzed from nan waist down.

The intimately watched proceedings is expected to past respective weeks, pinch jurors proceeding sharply conflicting grounds astir Clancy's intelligence authorities and criminal responsibility.

Boston criminal defense lawyer and ineligible expert Elyse Hershon said nan verdict will apt hinge connected whether jurors judge Clancy possessed nan intent and intelligence capacity required for a execution conviction.

"Whenever location are deaths of children, it rattles emotions," Hershon said. "Because these actions are incomprehensible and nan result truthful horrific, group thin to want to clasp personification responsible."

Postpartum psychosis is rare, affecting an estimated 1 to 2 women per 1,000 births. Symptoms tin see hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, terrible temper swings and thoughts of harming oneself aliases others. Experts accent that nan immense mostly of women diagnosed pinch nan information ne'er harm their children.

If convicted of murder, Clancy faces life successful situation without nan anticipation of parole. If jurors find she lacked criminal work because of intelligence illness, she would alternatively beryllium committed to a authorities psychiatric hospital.

The lawsuit has drawn comparisons to different high-profile prosecutions involving postpartum psychosis, including Andrea Yates, whose execution condemnation for drowning her 5 children successful Texas was overturned earlier she was recovered not blameworthy by logic of insanity, and Dena Schlosser, who was besides recovered not blameworthy by logic of insanity aft sidesplitting her babe daughter.

Clancy and her erstwhile hubby person besides revenge lawsuits accusing her aesculapian providers of failing to decently diagnose and dainty her deteriorating intelligence wellness earlier nan killings.

The proceedings is expected to reignite statement complete postpartum psychosis, pinch advocates arguing nan information is often misunderstood successful nan criminal justness system.

"Women who termination their children successful nan throes of this aesculapian illness, postpartum psychosis, are earnestly and profoundly mentally ill. They are not evil," said Dr. Catherine Birndorf, laminitis of The Motherhood Center successful New York. "To maine it's unwellness until proven otherwise. The truth that we see it criminal until proven different is problematic."