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.
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Closing arguments in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy are underway. The judge began the day by instructing the jury on the law. Each side has one hour to deliver their closings. Jury deliberations could begin around noon.
The closing arguments cap off 21 days of testimony from a total of 84 witnesses, comprised of 74 prosecution witnesses and 10 defense witnesses.
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.”
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 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.
