Lindsay Clancy’s first words to her then-husband, Patrick Clancy, after she killed their three kids were revealed during a forensic psychologist’s testimony in her murder case.
On Monday, August 24, Dr. Kirk Heilbrun took the stand to discuss his experience of evaluating Lindsay, 36, for three days in April.
In an Associated Press livestream, Heilbrun spoke about Lindsay’s criminal responsibility and said he believed there were two possible reasons why she killed Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023. After she strangled them, she attempted suicide by jumping from the second story of her home.
Heilbrun said that Lindsay either believed she needed to kill her children so they would not suffer after she died or she was experiencing acute psychosis. However, he ultimately ruled out the latter theory.
Heilbrun then revealed what Lindsay told Patrick when he returned home and found their children dead. Patrick asked her what she had done, and Lindsay responded, “I tried to kill myself.”
The psychologist said that her response was inconsistent with psychosis, and he explained that someone experiencing hallucinations likely would have said something along the lines of, “I did what I had to do” or “I did what the voice said.”
Also during his testimony, Heilbrun said that Lindsay claimed she heard a male voice about 18 minutes before she killed her kids.
“This is your last chance. You have to kill the kids so you can kill yourself,” the voice allegedly told Lindsay.
Heilbrun said that the timing of Lindsay hearing the voice was unusual, and he also noted that Lindsay gave “inconsistent” accounts of what the voice had told her to do.
Heilbrun came to the conclusion that Lindsay killed her children because she believed they would suffer without her and they could be “together in heaven” if they also died. He also said that Lindsay told her children, “Go to God, baby. Go to God” as she killed them.
As Us previously reported, Heilbrun’s testimony was cut short after he mentioned Lindsay’s Catholic faith. Lindsay’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, requested a mistrial due to the comment, but Judge William Sullivan denied the request.
Lindsay is currently facing three counts of first-degree murder. While she has not denied that she killed her kids, her defense argued that she should not be held criminally responsible due to her postpartum psychosis and bipolar depression.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has argued that Lindsay’s suicide attempt was proof that she knew what she was doing by killing her kids.
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).
