Closing arguments are set to begin in Lindsay Clancy's trial in the killings of her 3 children

Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three children. Prosecutors called more than 70 witnesses, including Clancy's then-husband, while the defense called 10 witnesses, including some of Clancy's friends and relatives. (AP) — Closing arguments are set for Thursday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children in a case that has drawn attention to postpartum mental health.Proceedings are expected to resume around 9 a.m.

The prosecution and defense will each have an hour to make their final case before the jury receives instructions and begins deliberating.Clancy did not testify during the trial, which is in its fifth week. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.___Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, with her lawyers arguing she was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she killed 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan Clancy at the family’s home in coastal Duxbury in January 2023 before attempting suicide.

Postpartum psychosis is a rare mental illness that is linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.Prosecutors say Clancy planned the killings and understood her actions were wrong.If convicted of murder, Clancy faces a mandatory life prison sentence. If jurors find her not guilty because she lacked criminal responsibility, she would not face prison time but could be committed to a psychiatric facility.Testifying Wednesday as the final rebuttal witness for the prosecution, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and a senior psychiatrist for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit said he did not believe Clancy’s account that a voice ordered her to kill the children.Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague asked Dr. Gregory Saathoff a series of questions about Clancy’s account: Did the voice tell her where to kill the children?

Saathoff answered no each time.All three children were strangled with exercise bands in the family’s basement before Clancy jumped from a second-floor window while …