Paralysed Mum strangled three children with fitness band and jumped out of window
A mother accused of killing her three young children with a fitness band has appeared in court in the United States. Lindsay Clancy, 35, was seen in the courtroom in Massachusetts in a wheelchair to face two separate jury decisions — one on whether she carried out the killings and another on whether she was legally insane at the time.Lawyers argued her murder trial should be split in two because of claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. She denies the charges. Prosecutors allege the former nurse strangled her children — Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan — with a fitness band at the family’s home in January 2023 after sending her husband out to collect food. After the attack she attempted to take her own life by jumping from a window, leaving her paralysed permanently.Her defence team says the case is not about whether she caused the deaths but about her mental condition, arguing she was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis and heavily affected by psychiatric medication.They want jurors to decide if she had a “mental disease or defect” that would have impacted her actions at the time of the children’s deaths and only then consider whether she can be held criminally responsible.Prosecutors opposed the move, insisting the killings were planned. Investigators previously pointed to alleged preparation before the incident and messages suggesting resentment toward the children.Experts say postpartum psychosis — a rare but severe psychiatric condition following childbirth — can cause delusions and detachment from reality, which in some cases forms the basis of an insanity defence.*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***Clancy was taking 12 medications at the time of the killings and at no point was her husband told not to leave her alone.These medications included Prozac and Seroquel, which allegedly gave her side effects such as “homicidal and suicidal ideation.”Clancy has pleaded not guilty and remains under medical supervision while awaiting trial, which is expected later this year.Her husband has also launched civil legal action against medical providers, claiming her treatment and medication contributed to the tragedy — an allegation the providers dispute.The jury will ultimately have to answer two stark questions: what happened inside the family home — and whether the woman accused was in control of her actions when it did.Clancy’s mother Paula was present during the proceedings, telling CBS News “she’s a lovely mother, she always has been”.
