FBI psychiatrist testifies that mother knew right from wrong in child killings trial

An FBI psychiatrist testified that Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother charged with killing her three children, acted with deliberate control and planning, challenging her defense that she was compelled by a voice during postpartum psychosis. The testimony came as the trial moved toward closing arguments.

"Having no instructions as to how to do it, but being able to execute those decisions … that is surprising that she’s able to accomplish all of this without any other kind of direction or plan," Dr. Gregory Saathoff told the court. Saathoff said Clancy’s ability to carry out the killings without external direction indicated she maintained control over the sequence of events. He noted that her actions on the day of the murders – visiting a pediatrician, preparing lunch and building a snowman – were performed in a methodical and organized manner. "The planning involved, prior to the strangling of her children, I thought was significant," he added, emphasizing the structured nature of her behavior. The psychiatrist also highlighted that Clancy reported the voice she claimed to hear stopped after the children were killed, a pattern he said he had never observed in his experience with postpartum psychosis. Under cross-examination, Saathoff disclosed he had treated only two women with postpartum psychosis in the 1980s and 1990s and acknowledged that hormonal changes after birth can produce intrusive thoughts and erratic behavior. Prosecutors argue that Clancy, a mother who had previously demonstrated high levels of functioning, chose to end her children’s lives and then attempt suicide, while the defense maintains she was unable to distinguish reality due to severe mental illness. Jurors are expected to hear closing arguments on Thursday before deliberations begin.