RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Clancy, 36, did not testify during the five-week trial
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Closing arguments are set for Thursday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, bringing jurors closer to deciding a case centered on the deaths of her three young children and difficult questions surrounding her mental health at the time.
Proceedings are expected to resume around 9 a.m. at Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts . Prosecutors and defense attorneys will each have an hour to make their final arguments before the judge instructs the jury and deliberations begin.
Clancy, 36, did not testify during the five-week trial. Prosecutors called more than 70 witnesses, including her then-husband, while the defense presented 10 witnesses, including friends and relatives.
Much of the testimony came from psychologists and psychiatrists offering differing conclusions about Clancy's mental state when her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — died at the family's home in Duxbury in January 2023.
Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Her attorneys acknowledge that she killed the children but argue that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious psychiatric condition that can occur after childbirth.
Prosecutors contend that Clancy planned the killings and understood that what she was doing was wrong.
If convicted of murder, Clancy faces a mandatory life sentence. If jurors find her not guilty because she lacked criminal responsibility, she would not receive a prison sentence but could be committed to a psychiatric facility.
The prosecution's final rebuttal witness testified Wednesday, ending the evidentiary phase of the closely watched trial.
Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and senior psychiatrist with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, testified that he did not believe Clancy's account that she heard a voice directing her to kill the children.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague questioned Saathoff about whether the voice Clancy described had provided specific instructions about where or how to kill the children, what to use or in what order. Saathoff said it had not.
He testified that Clancy's ability to carry out a sequence of actions without such instructions indicated, in his assessment, that she retained control over what she was doing.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington focused his questioning on the steps Clancy had taken to seek help in the months before the children's deaths.
He pointed to her internet searches for information about postpartum depression, appointments with maternal and mental health professionals, disclosures to her mother and then-husband about her mental state, and calls seeking crisis support.
The defense argues those actions demonstrate that Clancy recognized she was seriously unwell and repeatedly sought help.
Reddington also challenged language used by prosecutors at the beginning of the trial suggesting Clancy had made a “selfish choice” and had sought a quick solution to her depression and anxiety.
Saathoff pushed back on that characterization.
“I think that statement that you read really minimizes what she was going through,” he testified.
Jurors will now hear the two sides' final interpretations of weeks of testimony before being asked to determine whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her children.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This free, confidential crisis hotline is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
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