Murder trial opens for Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children

Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children at the family home in Duxbury in January 2023.

Who is on trial and what are the charges

The defendant, Lindsay Clancy, has pleaded not guilty to charges that she murdered her daughter Cora, 5, her son Dawson, 3, and her eight-month-old son Callan. Prosecutors allege she deliberately strangled the children while her husband was picking up takeout, then attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window, an action that left her paralyzed.

Defense will pursue mental-health argument

Clancy’s lawyers are expected to mount an insanity defence, saying she was suffering from postpartum psychosis after months of worsening psychiatric symptoms, repeated hospitalisations, and multiple medication changes. Defence counsel Kevin Reddington acknowledged that Clancy killed her children but argued she should not be held criminally responsible because of her mental state.

“Our society fails miserably in treating women with postpartum depression or even postpartum psychosis,” Reddington said during a 2023 arraignment hearing. “This is a situation that clearly was a product of mental illness.”

Prosecution’s account and expected evidence

Prosecutors dispute the defence account and say the killings were intentional and carefully planned. They have indicated they will present evidence they say shows deliberation, including sending the husband on an errand before the children were killed.

Witnesses and related civil suits

The children’s father, Patrick Clancy, who discovered the children’s bodies, is expected to testify. In addition to the criminal case, both Patrick and Lindsay Clancy have filed separate civil lawsuits against mental health providers who treated her before the killings, alleging failures in her psychiatric care.

What to expect at trial

The trial is expected to last several weeks and will feature extensive testimony from psychiatrists, medical experts, and treating physicians about postpartum psychosis. Jurors will be asked to decide whether Clancy was legally responsible for the deaths.

Jurors will weigh sharply conflicting accounts of Clancy’s mental state at the time of the killings as they hear testimony from both sides in a case that has drawn nationwide attention.