FBI psychiatrist challenges voice defense in Clancy murder trial

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy is approaching its final phase, with prosecutors on Wednesday continuing their questioning of an FBI psychiatrist who has cast doubt on the defendant's account of the killings.

Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and a senior psychiatrist with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, returned to the stand for a second day. He began testifying Tuesday that he did not find credible Clancy's claim that a voice commanded her to kill her three young children.

Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, does not dispute that she killed the children but argues she should not be held criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis — a rare condition linked to stress, sleep deprivation, and hormonal shifts after childbirth. Clancy also attempted to take her own life following the killings.

Saathoff, who has treated thousands of patients with psychosis, said several aspects of Clancy's account struck him as unconvincing. He noted that she described the voice as constant rather than intermittent, that it stopped abruptly once the strangulations were complete, and that she had never previously reported hearing voices to her medical providers. He also pointed to inconsistencies in the timeline she gave different evaluators about when the voice first appeared that day.

"Committing the act is not curative of the voice," Saathoff said, adding that he had never encountered such a pattern in his career.

Following the prosecution's remaining questions, Reddington will have the opportunity to cross-examine Saathoff. Closing arguments could begin as early as Thursday.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.