Defense in Lindsay Clancy case claims psychosis behind her killing her children

Content warning: This article contains content that some may find disturbing, including descriptions of child deaths and suicide attempts.

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, a woman who killed her three children, is set to resume on Monday for its fourth week of testimony, with the prosecution continuing its presentation and the defense preparing for its opportunity to call witnesses and experts.

Clancy has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of her children - five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan - in January 2023. 

While Clancy admitted to killing her children, the defense has argued that due to postpartum psychosis and overmedication, she should not be held criminally responsible. The prosecution said Clancy planned the killings, carried them out "deliberately and meticulously," and then faked a suicide attempt. 

Clancy's ex-husband Patrick Clancy described the day of the killings in his testimony, saying he had gone out to pick up medicine for their oldest child and a takeout order Lindsay Clancy had placed at a local restaurant. He came home and found their second-floor bathroom covered in blood and the window open. Lindsay Clancy was lying on the ground outside with deep cuts on her wrists and another cut across her neck. She told him she had tried to kill herself, and when asked where the children were, she said they were in the basement.

Patrick Clancy found the three children unresponsive with exercise bands wrapped around their necks. Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead that night, and Callan died three days later, never having regained consciousness. Lindsay Clancy was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Prosecution claims Clancy falsified suicide attempt, defense blames psychotic break and hallucination 

The prosecution used first responder testimony calling Clancy's injuries "superficial" and described them as "not actively bleeding" at the time of their arrival to point towards the suicide attempt being staged in an attempt to cover up her state of mind at the time of the killings. However, the defense disputed the claims and suggested the unusually cold temperatures may have contributed to the lack of bleeding at the time. 

According to the defense, Clancy was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time and that she heard a voice telling her that "this is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself."

While Clancy appeared outwardly functional, the defense claimed that the psychosis caused her to believe there was only one course of action: to kill her children and then herself.

Clancy took over 10 medications, went to multiple providers leading up to killings

Multiple psychiatric providers testified to Clancy's state of mind leading up to January 24. In the months prior, one psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Tufts, said that Clancy had tried at least 10 medications to find the right combination and complained of insomnia, depression, and anxiety resulting from the medication. 

"Anxiety was really bad even before medication. Now hard to differentiate. Overnight, racing thoughts. Paranoid of getting suicidal thoughts, something bad happening, doesn't want to be alone," Tufts said while reading from her notes.

However, Tufts said she had not thought Clancy was ever psychotic, and in an appointment the day before the murders, she never mentioned any plans to kill her children. She told the court she was surprised to hear that Clancy had called a suicide hotline twice over the course of her treatment.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta also testified that while treating Clancy, she was concerned Clancy was experiencing a mixed manic or hypomanic state and recommended a higher level of care, but did not believe Clancy had postpartum psychosis when she treated her.

Clancy visited multiple treatment centers, including staying multiple days in a locked ward facility in early January.

Notes found detail Clancy's fears around medication, mental health

Notes on Clancy's phone written in the months leading up to the killings included fears over taking new medication and details of her anxiety and depression.

One note, last edited in November 2022, detailed her feeling "sad and depressed" about not being able to parent her youngest child the same way she raised her first, writing that she "sort of resent[s] my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby. And I know that’s not fair to them.”

Another note from November contained her concerns over sleep training her child, saying she felt 'slightly traumatized by the sleep training," but only when she was "severely sleep deprived and paranoid."

She also wrote a list of affirmations including “I will get through this. I will overcome postpartum anxiety and depression. I am a great mom. I love my kids.”

Records of Clancy's cellphone search history from January included several searches about prescription medications, mental disorders including schizophrenia, psychosis, hallucinations, and bipolar disorder, whether or not a sociopath could be treated, as well as methods of suicide.

If Clancy is found guilty of murder, she could face life in prison. In the event that she is found not criminally responsible, she will likely be committed to a psychiatric hospital.