Trial begins for woman who claims postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her 3 children

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trial-begins-for-woman-who-claims-postpartum-psychosis-drove-her-to-kill-her-3-children Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trial begins for woman who claims postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her 3 children Nation Jul 27, 2026 1:33 PM EDT PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — In the months after the birth of her third child, Lindsay Clancy 's mental health collapsed. Manic, unable to sleep and stricken with thoughts of harming herself, she sought care from experts in postpregnancy mood disorders, was put on multiple psychiatric medications, and when nothing worked, checked in to a psychiatric hospital. Nineteen days after she was discharged, she strangled her three children at their Massachusetts home. A jury heard opening statements Monday in Clancy's murder trial, which is expected to feature dueling views in the coming weeks about her culpability and mental state. Jurors also heard testimony from Patrick Clancy, her former husband, who found the children after returning to the house on the day of their killings in January 2023. He has said in interviews that he forgives his wife. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. He also found his wife, who had used multiple methods to try to end her own life. She remains paralyzed from the waist down after jumping from the home's second-story window. Lindsay Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth. He described walls decorated with alphabet letters, colors and cartoon characters and a home filled with toys, saying jurors would hear testimony from family, friends, neighbors and teachers about Clancy's devotion to her children. "These children were loved, nurtured and cared for," he told jurors. "She loved those children right up to the time of their death." Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham argued that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, "acted intentionally, rationally and swiftly" and bore full responsibility for the deaths. "This was not a woman in the throes of psychosis," Buckingham said, urging jurors to focus on Clancy's actions rather than broader questions about maternal mental health. "This is not a public debate about women's mental health and how the medical system treats women. This case is about this defendant, Lindsay Clancy." The trial will hinge on Clancy's mental state Both sides agree she killed her children. They disagree over whether she should be held criminally responsible for their deaths. Elyse Hershon, a Boston criminal defense attorney and legal analyst, said the verdict will likely depend on how the jury views Clancy's "intent and mental c