Massachusetts Woman's Defense Lawyers Argue Against Criminal Liability Amid Postpartum Mad
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While Clancy’s defense lawyers have not disputed that she fatally strangled her children, they argue she should not be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis. Massachusetts prosecutors contend that Clancy, 36, intentionally killed her children Callan, Dawson, and Cora, who were eight months, three years and five years old respectively. Prosecutors said Clancy then faked a suicide attempt.
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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.
PBS NewsHourLindsay 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.
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.
Washington TimesClancy’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. Prosecutors argue that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, planned 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:
Associated PressResnick testified that Clancy was “clearly psychotic” on the day she killed her children and was not in control of her actions.
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“It was almost like she was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings,” said Resnick, who testified for the defense in the 2006 trial of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in 2001.
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The Guardian USPrior to resting, the defense called forensic psychiatrist Dr Phillip Resnick to the stand; Resnick was an integral witness in the murder trial of Andrea Yates. In 2001, Yates drowned her five children in Texas and, in 2006 after a retrial, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Medical professionals, including Resnick, testified that Yates suffered from severe postpartum psychosis.
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Women rally in support of Lindsay Clancy at her trial Several of the 300 women who gathered Thursday outside the courthouse said Clancy's story resonated with them and that they wanted to raise awareness about how the mental health system treats women.
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The Guardian USHundreds of women gathered outside the courthouse on Thursday in support of Clancy, with many donning pink clothing with statements such as “She Needed Help”.
The FederalistWhat’s more, many women have taken to social media to sympathize with Clancy. Videos showing women breaking down because of the hardship of raising young children with the text “Same, Lindsay” or throwing ice into the bathtub to vent pent-up rage have gone viral over the last week. A group of women have even gathered outside the courtroom to show support for Clancy, with some even bringing their children.
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Prosecutors then began calling rebuttal witnesses in the trial, which is likely entering its final days. Closing arguments are expected next week.
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Washington TimesProsecutors then began calling rebuttal witnesses before attorneys make their closing arguments in the trial, which is likely entering its final days.
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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 USA Today The case has garnered extensive publicity between drawing attention to postpartum mental health and sparking widespread conspiracy theories.
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02 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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03 The Guardian US Host Carter Sherman speaks with Jenna Amatulli, deputy head of news for Guardian US, about how the case has renewed attention on the fundamental shortcomings in the US's maternal healthcare system, and about why Clancy's story has captivated – and polarized – so many people
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04 NBC News The surrogate in the center of a multi-state legal battle over a baby who was born with a rare heart condition sought to “set the record straight” on her motivations in an opinion editorial published in the New York Post on Thursday.
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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 Washington Times Musgrove also recalled a more alarming disclosure in December. Musgrove, Clancy and Clancy’s then-husband, Patrick Clancy, were in the couple’s kitchen when Clancy said she had to tell them something.
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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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