- Psychiatrists who treated Lindsay Clancy before she killed her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on Jan. 24, 2023, are expected to testify in her high-profile murder trial on Friday, according to her defense attorney.
- The defense says Clancy was suffering from an extreme episode of mental illness when she strangled the children.
- A full day of testimony is expected on Friday in Plymouth Superior Court, and Clancy's mental health is a key issue at trial.
- Her ex-husband last week testified that she started making suicidal statements and told him she had thoughts of hurting the children after switching to a new medication in December 2022.
- She was admitted to McLean Hospital for psychiatric treatment about one month before she killed her children.
- On Thursday, a childhood friend testified that Clancy texted her and said she had been taking a medication that caused some "dark thoughts"; Clancy said she was trying to wean herself off the medication and try new ones to remove the side effects.
- Another friend said Clancy told her she was feeling "like a zombie" shortly before the murders, and a coworker said Clancy reported "negative side effects from the medication"; Clancy also wrote about her mental health struggles in diary entries read aloud in court on Monday, including "I feel like I'm drowning every day."
Lindsay Clancy is on trial for the first-degree murder of her three children, aged 5, 3, and 8 months, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on January 24, 2023.127891011
The defense claims Clancy experienced an extreme mental health episode during the tragic event.
Testimony from psychiatrists who treated her prior to the killings is expected to be pivotal.
Clancy's mental health has been a central focus of the trial, with her ex-husband revealing that she made suicidal statements and expressed thoughts of harming the children after changing medications in December 2022.345
She was admitted to McLean Hospital for psychiatric treatment about a month before the murders.6
A childhood friend testified that Clancy had been taking medication that led to “dark thoughts,” while another friend noted she felt “like a zombie” shortly before the incident.
Clancy's diary entries, read in court, reveal her struggles: “I feel like I'm drowning every day.”
A full day of testimony is anticipated in Plymouth Superior Court, as the defense seeks to establish the extent of Clancy's mental illness during the tragic event.
“The defense argues Clancy was in the throes of an extreme mental illness episode when she strangled her children, a claim supported by testimony that she was admitted to McLean Hospital about a month prior. Her ex-husband testified she made suicidal statements after switching medications in December 2022, and diary entries read Monday included 'I feel like I'm drowning every day.'”
CBS News
