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Lindsay Clancy trial: Jury being sent home for weekend

Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges.

Jury deliberations are underway in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom who killed her three young children while in the family's home on Jan. 24, 2023.

Clancy’s defense attorney claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life. Prosecutors argue that Clancy -- who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder -- is criminally responsible for her children's deaths.

If she is found guilty, Clancy could face life in prison without parole. If found not criminally responsible for the three murder charges, she will be sent to a state mental health facility.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are not on your own.

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    Jurors will be allowed to consider manslaughter offense, judge says

    Judge William Sullivan said each side will have one hour Thursday morning to deliver their closing arguments in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy.

    Once the closings are over, Sullivan will instruct the jury about how to interpret the law in the case, known as the jury charge. It is possible that the jury begins its deliberations by noon.

    The charge itself is not yet finalized, but Sullivan signaled that the jurors will be allowed to consider the charge of manslaughter, a lesser offense than the murder charge.

    To secure a conviction, prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy was “criminally responsible at the time the alleged crime was committed.”

    Jurors will be told that Clancy is not criminally responsible if she “lacks the substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality or wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.”


    Jury sent home for the day, closing arguments to begin Thursday

    The jury has been sent home for the day as the evidentiary portion of the trial concluded. The judge is holding a charge conference, which is set for 2:30 p.m., to hash out how the jury should be instructed on the law in the case. Closing arguments will begin Thursday morning.


    Prosecutors rest rebuttal case

    Prosecutors in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy have rested their rebuttal case.

    The evidentiary portion of the trial has now concluded after 21 days of testimony. Jurors heard from a total of 84 witnesses.

    Defense attorney Kevin Reddington concluded his lengthy cross-examination of the final state witness by quoting the prosecution’s opening statement.

    When asked about the accuracy of the claims, Gregory Saathoff -- a senior psychiatrist for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit -- responded that the lengthy quote from prosecutor Shanan Buckingham "really minimizes what [Clancy] was going through."

    "Would you agree, sir, based on your investigation…that in fact, on January 24th of 2023, Lindsey made a calculated decision. She was a woman who no longer liked the life she thought she wanted. It was getting harder and harder for her to control, and when she saw the opportunity to escape, she made the selfish choice to take it and to take Cora, Dawson, and Callan first before attempting to take her own life," Reddington asked in his cross-examination.

    "She chose to manipulate her providers, seek out a quick and easy fix when she was feeling depressed and anxious, and when she didn't get what she expected, she chose the alternate route. She would seek a different doctor. She would change medications after days. She disengaged from treatment that she didn't like the plan, and after only four months in treatment, she made a choice-a deliberate and intentional decision that she did not want to try anymore. And because no one could take care of her kids the way she wanted them to, she had to take them with her too. Would you agree that the evidence, in your opinion, supports that contention, sir?" Reddington questioned.

    "Well, there's a lot in that," Saathoff testified.

    "Do you agree that it would support your contention, sir, or it would not?" Reddington asked.

    "I think that statement that you read really minimizes what she was going through," Saathoff testified.


    Defense questions final prosecution witness on experience with postpartum psychosis, Clancy's medical care

    As the prosecution in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy nears the end of its rebuttal case, defense attorney Kevin Reddington is questioning the final prosecution witness, Gregory Saathoff, a senior psychiatrist with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, over his assessment that the Massachusetts mother was not experiencing postpartum psychosis.

    Reddington used his cross-examination to not only attempt to poke holes in the assessment conducted by Saathoff after Clancy killed her children, but also highlight some of the challenges he says Clancy faced seeking medical care before the events transpired.

    “She was complaining, not just to her physicians, but she was complaining to people in her community that she was having intrusive thoughts, dark thoughts, suicidal thoughts, and homicidal ideation. She said that, correct?” Reddington said.

    “The homicidal ideation, as I understand, was just voiced to her husband and her mother,” Saathoff testified.

    “Just voiced. Is that what you just said? Just voiced. Is that like talking about the Red Sox? She's talking about homicidal ideation of her children,” Reddington shot back, prompting an objection.

    While Saathoff testified that he treated thousands of people with psychosis over the course of his career, he acknowledged he only treated two women with postpartum psychosis. He also testified that memories fade over time, and that he interviewed Clancy three years after the killings.

    Reddington also sought to highlight that Clancy was turned away two times from a suicide hotline, which redirected her to her medical provider without recommending hospitalization.

    “What kind of a devastating effect would that have on a person who's ready to kill themselves that's called the Aspire Hotline twice and has been turned away?” Reddington asked.

    “It could have a very serious effect,” Saathoff testified.