Trial begins for Massachusetts mom who says postpartum issues led her to kill 3 children - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reports that jury selection opened Monday in Plymouth Superior Court for the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother charged in the 2023 deaths of her three young children. Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to three murder counts in the killings of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, who died on Jan. 24, 2023. AP reported that five jurors were seated on the first day, with 18 total jurors, including six alternates, expected to be chosen.

The case is expected to focus heavily on Clancy’s mental state after childbirth. Her defense team, led by attorney Kevin Reddington, does not dispute that she killed the children, but plans to pursue an insanity defense tied to postpartum psychiatric illness. AP reports that Clancy’s lawyers and her husband, Patrick Clancy, say she was not responsible for her actions. The trial could include testimony about postpartum psychosis, a rare condition that can involve delusions or hallucinations after giving birth.

Prosecutors argue the children’s deaths were deliberate and planned. According to AP’s account, Clancy asked her husband to leave their home to buy takeout and pick up an item at a pharmacy before the children were strangled with exercise bands. She then attempted suicide by multiple means and was paralyzed after falling from a second-story window. She is being held at a state hospital.

The trial is expected to last several weeks. Patrick Clancy is listed as a witness for both sides, according to AP. The case has drawn national attention because it combines a severe criminal charge with questions about maternal mental health and legal responsibility.