Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A prosecution expert told jurors Tuesday that Lindsay Clancy was mentally ill when she killed her three children, but was still criminally responsible for her actions.
Dr. Kirk Heilbrun testified that Clancy understood killing her children was illegal and morally wrong, even as depression, hopelessness and a desire to die influenced her thinking. He said her actions were better understood as a serious suicide attempt combined with what he described as “altruistic filicide,” rather than as a response to command hallucinations.
Heilbrun acknowledged that Clancy had a mental disease or defect, including bipolar II disorder and depressive symptoms, which he said were worsened by sleep problems and possible adverse reactions to medication. But he concluded that she still retained control over whether, when and how she acted, including her decision to involve her children.
That opinion followed Heilbrun’s testimony Monday challenging Clancy’s account of hearing a voice that commanded her to kill, saying her reported pattern of intrusive personal thoughts suddenly being overtaken by a single, brief instance of command hallucinations was highly unlikely.
#LindsayClancy #PostpartumPsychosis
A prosecution expert told jurors Tuesday that Lindsay Clancy was mentally ill when she killed her three children, but was still criminally responsible for her actions.
Dr. Kirk Heilbrun testified that Clancy understood killing her children was illegal and morally wrong, even as depression, hopelessness and a desire to die influenced her thinking. He said her actions were better understood as a serious suicide attempt combined with what he described as “altruistic filicide,” rather than as a response to command hallucinations.
Heilbrun acknowledged that Clancy had a mental disease or defect, including bipolar II disorder and depressive symptoms, which he said were worsened by sleep problems and possible adverse reactions to medication. But he concluded that she still retained control over whether, when and how she acted, including her decision to involve her children.
That opinion followed Heilbrun’s testimony Monday challenging Clancy’s account of hearing a voice that commanded her to kill, saying her reported pattern of intrusive personal thoughts suddenly being overtaken by a single, brief instance of command hallucinations was highly unlikely.
#LindsayClancy #PostpartumPsychosis
