Psychologist Testifies Mother Heard Voice Ordering Killings During Trial
A hospital psychologist said Lindsay Clancy told her husband she heard a male voice urging her to kill their children and herself, a claim presented as part of her not-guilty by reason of insanity defense.
A psychologist for Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital testified that Lindsay Clancy, who is charged with the murders of her three children, told her husband she heard a male voice commanding her to kill the children and herself. The testimony was given on Tuesday in a Massachusetts courtroom, where the defense argues that Clancy suffered severe postpartum psychosis worsened by medication.
Psychologist Paul Zeizel said Clancy called her husband from her hospital room 13 days after the killings, expressing love and describing the alleged voice that left her with no choice but to act. When asked by Clancy's attorney whether he had suggested she might have fabricated the claim, Zeizel responded, "Absolutely not."
Prosecutors maintain that the killings were premeditated, noting that Clancy never reported hearing voices to any of her treating clinicians. Defense psychiatrists have offered alternative explanations, including the possibility that Clancy concealed the severity of her mental state out of fear of losing custody. One psychiatrist, who reviewed her records but had not examined her personally, suggested she might have worried about child-protective services.
Other testimony described the method of the children's deaths, indicating they likely lost consciousness within seconds after being strangled with exercise cords. Medical experts also detailed Clancy's injuries after she jumped from a second-floor window, leaving her paraplegic. The trial continues with further witnesses expected to testify.