- Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and a senior psychiatrist for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, began testifying Tuesday that he did not believe Clancy’s account that a voice ordered her to kill her three young children.
- The prosecution resumed questioning its final witness Wednesday in the murder trial against Lindsay Clancy, with an FBI psychiatrist returning to the stand before the defence questions him and closing arguments begin.
- Saathoff will be cross-examined by Reddington after prosecutors finish questioning him. That will be followed by closing arguments, possibly as early as Thursday.
- Saathoff, who has treated thousands of patients with psychosis, said he found Clancy’s account unconvincing.
- He found it unusual that Clancy said the voice stopped once she was done strangling the children, that the voice was constant rather than intermittent and that she never previously reported hearing a voice to her medical providers.
- “Committing the act is not curative of the voice,” Saathoff said of the voice stopping abruptly. “I’ve not ever seen that.”
- Defence attorney Kevin Reddington does not dispute that Clancy, 36, killed the children but says she shouldn’t be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.
Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI, testified that he found Lindsay Clancy's claim of hearing a voice ordering her to kill her children unconvincing. He noted that the voice's abrupt cessation after the killings was atypical, stating, “Committing the act is not curative of the voice.”12
Clancy's defense, led by attorney Kevin Reddington, acknowledges her actions but argues she should not be held criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis, a severe mental illness that can arise from childbirth-related stress and hormonal changes. Reddington emphasized the impact of sleep deprivation and stress on Clancy's mental state.37
Saathoff, who has treated numerous patients with psychosis, expressed skepticism about Clancy's account, particularly noting that she had never reported hearing voices to her medical providers before this incident. He described the nature of the voice as constant rather than intermittent, which he found unusual.
The trial is nearing its conclusion, with Saathoff expected to be cross-examined by Reddington before closing arguments commence, potentially as soon as Thursday.
“Dr. Gregory Saathoff, who has treated thousands of psychosis patients, found it unusual that the voice stopped after the strangling and that Clancy never reported hearing it to providers. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argues she shouldn't be held criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis.”
The Globe and Mail
