Psychologist Says Mother Who Killed Three Children Couldn't Grasp Wrongfulness

A psychologist testifying for the defense in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy said Wednesday that the former nurse did not understand the wrongfulness of her actions when she killed her three young children in January 2023.

Dr. Paul Zeizel, who has treated Clancy since the deaths, told the Plymouth, Massachusetts, court that she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis, a rare and severe condition linked to hormonal changes and sleep deprivation after childbirth. He stated that she had a mental disease or defect that left her unable to conform her behavior to the rule of law.

Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of her children, aged 8 months to 5 years. Prosecutors allege she planned the killings, sending her husband out to run errands before attacking the children and attempting suicide by jumping from a window. She survived but is paralyzed from the waist down.

Zeizel, who spent more than 35 hours with Clancy, said she had shown signs of psychosis in the weeks before the killings, including paranoia and fears that her children would be taken from her. He acknowledged that she could still perform everyday tasks, such as driving and searching the internet, despite her psychotic state.

Under cross-examination, prosecutors highlighted errors in Zeizel's report and questioned his objectivity, noting his dual role as her clinician and a consultant for the defense. They also pointed out that her medical records contain no reports of hearing voices instructing her to kill, only expressions of a desire to die.

Zeizel countered that Clancy speaks often of her children and that she loves and misses them deeply. If convicted of murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If found not criminally responsible, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.