Lindsay Clancy's defense team presented a key piece of evidence Wednesday when her psychologist testified that she was too mentally ill to be held criminally responsible for the 2023 deaths of her three young children. The former nurse, 36, is accused of strangling her children—Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan—at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home.
Clancy has admitted to killing her children but has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis. Her defense is seeking her commitment to a state mental health facility instead of imprisonment. During the trial, Dr. Paul Zeizel, a forensic psychologist working with Clancy's defense, stated that individuals experiencing psychosis can still perform daily tasks, explaining how Clancy could have taken her daughter to a doctor or searched online on the day of the killings.
"My opinion is that she did have indeed a mental disease or defect... but she had bipolar disorder with postpartum psychosis," Dr. Zeizel testified. "In addition, she was unable to conform her behavior to the law, and she had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her act."
Dr. Zeizel also described Clancy's behavior at Tewksbury Hospital, where she is currently held. He noted that her conduct has been unremarkable and that she is well-regarded by staff. He added that Clancy speaks about her children frequently, expressing love and daily remembrance.
Under cross-examination, prosecutor Shanan Buckingham questioned Dr. Zeizel regarding Clancy's account of hearing a man's voice instructing her to kill herself and her children. Dr. Zeizel confirmed that Clancy had shared this experience with a hospital chaplain and her husband, Patrick, after the killings. He stated that Clancy has not heard voices since 2023 but had done so prior to the events. Prosecutors have previously raised questions about the timeline of when Clancy first reported hearing voices.
Earlier in the trial, Dr. Zeizel testified that Clancy's initial mention of the voice occurred during a phone call with her husband. "She had said that she heard a male voice ordering her, telling her that she didn't have any choice, but she had to kill her children and then kill herself," Dr. Zeizel recounted.
In a separate ruling Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan decided that Emily Thorndike, a TikTok user and therapist who previously worked at McLean psychiatric hospital where Clancy stayed in December 2022, would not be permitted to testify. Thorndike had indicated she felt the prosecution's portrayal of the facility was misleading after watching testimony from Clancy's husband. However, Thorndike had left her position at the hospital approximately one year before Clancy's admission.
Shortly after the court resumed from a lunch break, Judge Sullivan adjourned proceedings for the day due to an unforeseen circumstance, instructing the jury not to speculate about the reason. The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday.
