Prosecution Calls Forensic Psychiatrist as Testimony Nears End in Massachusetts Murder Trial

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy resumed Monday in Plymouth Superior Court as the prosecution called forensic psychiatrist Dr. Avram Mack to the stand, marking the final phase of testimony in the case. Mack, who had previously met with Clancy at Tewksbury Hospital, testified that she recalled telling her three children to "go to God" before killing them in her Duxbury home. He was cross-examined by defense attorney Kevin Reddington, who noted a prior ruling that had deemed Mack "unqualified" to testify, a characterization Mack disputed.

Reddington questioned Mack about postpartum psychosis, asking whether it is a legitimate condition. Mack affirmed that symptoms of psychosis, especially in the postpartum period, are a legitimate finding that requires treatment. The defense had earlier rested after its last witness, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick, who had previously testified in the Andrea Yates case and said Clancy reported feeling an "external force" take over her body before the killings.

Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder involving children aged five, three and eight months. The prosecution maintains that the killings were premeditated and that her subsequent suicide attempt was not serious, while the defense argues she should not be held criminally responsible due to overmedication and postpartum psychosis. If convicted of first-degree murder, Clancy faces life imprisonment without parole; a finding of not criminally responsible would result in commitment to a state psychiatric hospital.