Lindsay Clancy's Defense Holds: Postpartum Psychosis Alleged to Have Triggered Killing
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Lindsay Clancy's defense rests at trial over whether postpartum psychosis drove her to killings Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, hasn't disputed that she killed the children but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.
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The FederalistOne argument by Clancy’s defenders — it’s also her legal defense — is that she was over-medicated to the point of negligence by her doctors, which caused a psychosis that led to her killing her children. Despite what Clancy’s defenders say, this does not free her from culpability, but there is a kernel of truth to this point.
USA TodayClancy's defense argues that she is not guilty because she lacks criminal responsibility, which is more commonly known as an insanity defense. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington says Clancy she was suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis at the time of the killings.
New York Post“Her mind was distorted like that.” Here’s the latest on Lindsay Clancy’s trial for allegedly murdering her three children:
The Daily WireClancy pleaded not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder, but the defense has never suggested someone else murdered her children. Instead, her defense team is trying to prove she should not be held criminally liable for actions committed while taking multiple prescription drugs and suffering postpartum psychosis.
The Guardian USSeveral of the 300 women, and a few men, said Clancy’s story resonated with them and that they wanted to raise awareness about how the mental health system treats women. Clancy’s lawyer does not dispute that she killed the children, but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she was mentally ill.
Associated PressProsecutors argue that Clancy contrived to get her husband out of the house the day of the killings. They have attempted to show that while she was getting treatment for anxiety, insomnia and depression, she wasn’t suffering from psychosis.
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"Lindsay Clancy has bad days, and worse days," he said. Sheila Cavanaugh Sheila Cavanaugh, a chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, testified that she visited Clancy more 200 times while she was being treated in multiple facilities after the killings.
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The Guardian USIn court, Sheila Cavanaugh, a chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, testified that when she first visited Clancy, she was unconscious. By 31 January 2023, Clancy was conscious and no longer connected to a ventilator, Cavanaugh said, but “her emotional state was very neutral – a flat affect.”
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Their last visit was right before the trial started. She said Clancy “talks frequently about her children”. “She loves them deeply,” Cavanaugh said. “She carries immense grief.”
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USA TodayCavanaugh said Clancy spoke to her for the first time on Jan. 31, 2023, and the first thing Clancy said was “I am so glad my children are safe.”
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She also said Clancy repeatedly mentioned that she heard a persistent male voice, which said she and her children would not be safe unless she followed his commands. Cavanaugh acknowledged under questioning by the prosecution that she did not mention the voice Clancy said she heard in any of the notes she took about their visits.
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The Guardian USCavanaugh told the court that Clancy “alluded to hearing a voice, and the voice, according to Lindsay, told her that if she did not follow the command, neither she nor her children would be safe”.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post Lindsay Clancy had a warped — but altruistic — reason for killing daughter Cora and sons Dawson and Callan, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick said Friday.
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02 USA Today The case has garnered extensive publicity between drawing attention to postpartum mental health and sparking widespread conspiracy theories.
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03 The Guardian US Thursday’s rally was the first time during the nearly month-long trial that supporters have come out in such large numbers.
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04 NBC News A Colorado man accused of killing his wife claimed she had been suffering from postpartum depression and cut her own throat — an explanation police quickly disputed before arresting him, authorities said Wednesday.
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05 Associated Press For his final witness on Friday, Reddington called Dr. Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychiatrist and expert in filicide, or the killing of a child by a parent.
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06 RealClearPolitics Outside Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts this week, Americans are witnessing something resembling a mass psychosis event. Read Full Article ⟶
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07 The Federalist Yet this case has become an internet firestorm. TikTok-addicted women, itching for the chance to be the amateur sleuth who breaks open the case like in their favorite true crime podcasts, have spun all kinds of conspiracies trying to exonerate Clancy.
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08 National Review No, All Women Do Not Identify with Lindsay Clancy The trial is Luigi Mangione madness all over again.
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09 The Daily Wire “We stand in silence, united hand in hand, wearing pink, to show Lindsay Clancy the peaceful support she deserved,” a website promoting the vigil says. Other flyers listed on the site promoted rallies in New York City, Phoenix, Fort Worth, and other cities around the country.
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