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In a case that has captivated the American public, Clancy has not disputed that she killed them, but her lawyers argue she should not be held legally responsible because she was suffering from severe mental illness.

At the start of the trial, Clancy, who has admitted to fatally strangling her three young children, was facing three counts of first-degree murder, which carry a life sentence. Clancy’s defense team argued that jurors should be allowed to consider second-degree murder or manslaughter, while the state objected. Judge William Sullivan ultimately agreed to give the manslaughter instruction.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children because she was depressed and tired of living, not because of failings with mental healthcare, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday before they began deliberating in her murder trial.

Sprague emphasized that Clancy was “a functioning mom” in the months leading up to the murders, even throwing a birthday party for her children. The prosecutor said that while she told close family members about thoughts of harming her children, the mother did not tell therapists or healthcare providers about hallucinations leading up to the killings. Even with her psychologist, Clancy denied wanting to hurt anyone else, denied voices, denied having visual hallucinations, and showed no signs of psychosis, Sprague said.

Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, began closing arguments on Thursday by pointing to Clancy’s suicide attempt after strangling her three children. She cut her wrists and neck and jumped from the second story of her home, an attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

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Lindsay Clancy trial draws attention to postpartum mental health Jurors are deliberating in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, a case that has raised questions about maternal mental healthcare. Clancy does not deny killing her children, but she pleaded not guilty, arguing she can't be held criminally responsible because the murders occurred while she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Shelley Murphy of The Boston Globe.

Jury Deliberations Underway in Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial In order to reach a verdict, jurors must agree on whether Ms. Clancy should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.

Whether Clancy lacked criminal responsibility because of genuine mental incapacity must be judged according to evidence and due process. The scandal is that the culture answered that question in her favor before the jury could, directing its emotional energy toward her rather than her three dead children.