Lindsay Clancy is “scared” and “nervous” as she waits for the jury to determine whether she should be found criminally responsible for killing her three kids in January 2023, according to her lawyer.
Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, shared the update about his client’s headspace while leaving the Plymouth County Superior Court on Thursday, August 27.
Despite Clancy’s concerns, Reddington said that he feels confident the jury will find her not guilty.
“I think that they have to weigh all of this evidence, and I believe that the government ultimately has not proven their case,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Reddington spoke out just after the jury heard the defense and prosecution’s closing arguments and began deliberations.
Throughout the trial, Clancy’s defense argued that she should not be held criminally responsible for killing Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, because of her mental health struggles.
However, prosecutors insisted that Clancy, 36, was aware of what she was doing when she killed her kids.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said during the closing arguments that Clancy’s postpartum health was “not the issue in this trial.”
“The issue is whether, at the time she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan, she knew the difference between right and wrong, and whether she could conform her behavior to the requirements of the law,” she said.
Sprague then addressed the defense’s argument that Clancy had been overmedicated and received inadequate medical care in the months before she killed her kids.
“It wasn’t the fault of the providers that she was struggling with this or that she wasn’t getting better,” she said. “They were doing the best they could with the information she provided them, and that wasn’t always accurate information. That wasn’t always the full picture.”
Sprague then shared what the prosecution believes was Clancy’s motive for the killings.
“She was depressed. She was exhausted. She was done. She didn’t want to try anymore. She felt damaged,” Sprague said. “But those kids, those kids were her protective factor. Those kids were keeping her from ending her misery. So she had to remove the protective factor.”
The prosecution also argued that Clancy’s suicide attempt following the killings was proof that the murders were intentional.
Earlier in the hearing, Reddington cited the expert opinion of forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick while explaining why Clancy shouldn’t be held criminally responsible.
Resnick testified that Clancy was not in control of her actions and was “frankly psychotic” before and during the killings.
“He indicates clearly in his opinion that she was in a state of psychosis at the time of this death, times three,” Reddington said. “Has any of the government doctors rebutted that?”
Reddington added, “She’s not criminally responsible. The burden is on them.”
If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
