Defense rests in Lindsay Clancy’s trial over whether postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her 3 children

Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, hasn't disputed that she killed the children but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth. BOSTON (AP) — The defense rested its case Friday in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial after eliciting several days of testimony about her mental state before and after she strangled her three young children. They were found in the basement of the family’s home in coastal Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Clancy jumped from a second-story window after strangling the children and remains paralyzed from the waist down.___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. 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's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, hasn't disputed that she killed the children but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

Prosecutors argue that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, planned the killings.Reddington sought to bolster that defense by having the jury hear from more of Clancy's family members, who detailed her worsening mental health before the January 2023 killings. He also called a psychologist who met with Clancy after the killings.Clancy's mother, Paula Musgrove, described her daughter as a dedicated and loving mom whose mental health began declining in October 2022.In a text message displayed to the jury, Clancy wrote: “Mom, will you please come up and stay with me for a bit? Something is wrong.”Musgrove also recalled a more alarming disclosure in December.

Musgrove, Clancy and Clancy's then-husband, Patrick Clancy, were in the couple's kitchen when Clancy said she had to tell them something.“She told us she had thoughts of harming the children,” Musgrove said.Clancy's former mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, testified that Lindsay Clancy begged for help in the months leading up to the killings. The jury was shown texts between the two in which Lindsay Clancy spoke about fears that she had developed a dependence on benzodiazepines, but couldn’t sleep without taking them.“I’m not okay and I’m terrified of taking … BOSTON (AP) — Defense rests in Lindsay Clancy’s trial over whether postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her 3 children.

The defense has rested its case in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial after eliciting more testimony about her mental state before she strangled her three young children in 2023.