A judge has rejected a defence request for a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her three young children in Massachusetts, after a prosecution psychologist brought her Catholic faith into his testimony.The ruling came as Clancy’s closely watched triple-murder trial neared its conclusion, with closing arguments expected Wednesday, according to NBC News.
Defence seeks mistrial over Catholic faith remarks
Forensic psychologist Kirk Heilbrun was testifying for the prosecution when he referred to Clancy’s Roman Catholic upbringing while discussing her state of mind at the time of the killings.Heilbrun mentioned Clancy’s statement that she told her children to “Go to God” before killing them and questioned her about Catholic teachings on suicide.The defence immediately objected, and attorney Kevin Reddington moved for a mistrial, accusing the prosecution of improperly introducing religion into the trial.Judge Sullivan rejected the mistrial request but ordered jurors to disregard Heilbrun’s remarks about Clancy’s faith and Catholic theology.“The religion that the defendant was raised is absolutely an inappropriate area of testimony,” the judge was quoted as saying by CNN. He also instructed jurors not to consider the remarks.
Psychologist questions psychosis claim
Heilbrun’s testimony otherwise focused on whether Clancy was experiencing psychosis when she killed her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at their Duxbury home in January 2023.He said Clancy claimed she heard a male voice telling her to kill herself and her children, but noted that she did not report hearing the voice before or after the killings.The psychologist said the account was more consistent with an intrusive thought than a command hallucination and described the killings as “altruistic filicide” — killing children out of a belief that they would suffer without the parent, CNN reported.
Defence says postpartum psychosis left her unaware
Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three counts of murder. She has admitted killing her children, but her defence says she was in the grip of severe postpartum mental illness and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions.Prosecutors argue that while Clancy had mental health problems, she understood what she was doing and deliberately killed her children before attempting suicide.Closing arguments are expected Wednesday as the trial moves towards a verdict.
