A jury is to determine whether Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was being treated for postpartum mental health issues when she killed the children: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was 8 months old. Plymouth County Superior Court Judge William Sullivan is presiding over the jury trial, which began on July 27 and is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Curated by: Meghann Cuniff (223 videos)
***Clancy's case involves serious mental health issues and could distress people. If you or someone you know needs help, you can call or text 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor. You also can visit 988lifeline.org or dial 800-273-8255 [TALK].*** Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague began her closing argument in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial on Thursday by telling jurors that no disputes Clancy "was suffering from mental illness and that she tried to kill herself." "Even the experts that the Commonwealth put before you say that she was suffering from mental illness and she tried to kill herself. That's 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," Sprague said. "This case is not about our mental health system or how it treats women or what's in the DSM-5 and what's not," Sprague said, referring to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. "That's a distraction to get you angry and passionate about an important issue, but an issue that's not on trial here. What's on trial here? What the issue is here is what Lindsay Clancy did the night of Jan. 24, 2023, and what her mental state was at the time," the prosecutor continued. Sprague spoke for 56 minutes. You can watch her entire argument on my YouTube channel. In most states, prosecutors argue first, then give a rebuttal argument after the defense closing argument. In Massachusetts, the defense argues first, then the prosecution so they can address anything the defense raised. There is no rebuttal. Clancy, who recently turned 36, was on maternity leave from her job as a labor and delivery nurse when she strangled 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month old Callan. She is charged with three counts of murder. Jurors can consider manslaughter as a lesser included offense to murder. Reports from the courtroom say the deliberating jurors are nine women and three men, and the foreperson is an older woman. Jurors deliberated about 3 1/2 hours on Thursday and will continue on Friday (August 28, day 23).