PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A forensic psychologist testifying for the prosecution told jurors Monday that he rejects Lindsay Clancy's defense claim that she acted under the influence of a command hallucination during the fatal strangulations of her three children in January 2023.
Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three counts of murder in the deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan at their Duxbury home.
Key Expert Testimony
Dr. Kirk Heilbrun, a forensic psychologist hired by prosecutors, testified that Clancy's account of hearing a male voice telling her to kill her children was highly unusual and inconsistent with typical psychosis.
Single Instance of Hallucination: Heilbrun noted that Clancy reported hearing the "command hallucination" for the first and only time during the 18-minute window of the killings, and never heard it again before or after.
Planning and Intent: Heilbrun testified that the crime required deliberate decision-making, stating, "There are many ongoing decisions that have to be made to accomplish a killing like this in 18 to 20 minutes... For example, why the basement? Who among the children goes first? What do you say to the kids to keep them from panicking?"
Altruistic Filicide: Instead of postpartum psychosis, Heilbrun characterized the act as "altruistic filicide"—killing one's children out of a distorted sense of love—believing Clancy intended to take her own life and killed her children because she thought they could not survive without her.
Final Words: Clancy disclosed to Heilbrun that she told each child to "go with God" while killing them, expecting they would be reunited in heaven.
Corroborating Testimony & Courtroom Motion
FBI Psychiatrist Testimony: Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, previously testified that Clancy described a clear, external male voice telling her, "This is your last chance, you have to kill your kids and then you have to kill yourself."
Denied Mistrial Motion: Defense attorney Kevin Reddington moved for a mistrial after Heilbrun referenced Clancy's Catholic faith. Judge William Sullivan denied the motion but instructed jurors to disregard the statement, deeming it an "absolutely inappropriate area of testimony."
Prosecutors contend that Clancy acted rationally, intentionally, and swiftly before attempting to take her own life on January 24, 2023. The trial remains ongoing in Plymouth Superior Court.
