Story perspectives

Lindsay Clancy Pleads Not Guilty, Cites Psychosis in Children’s Murder

8/8/2026

Summary

Clancy Pleads Not Guilty

Lindsay Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder counts for the Jan. 24, 2023 deaths of her children Cora, Dawson and Callan in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
Prosecutors say she cut herself, jumped from a window and is paralyzed, while defense attorney Kevin Reddington claims psychosis, overmedication and a voice.
Psychiatrist Alia Goodheart said she saw no psychosis during Clancy’s Jan. 1-5, 2023 stay, while toxicologist Justin Brower found drug levels below toxic thresholds.

Summary

Postpartum Psychosis Funding

Postpartum psychosis is not listed in the DSM, limiting research funding and provider education.
Massachusetts lacks sufficient reproductive-mental-health psychiatrists, mother-baby units, and postpartum training programs.
Illinois is the only state where untreated postpartum depression or psychosis can be used to mitigate criminal sentencing.
Postpartum psychosis affects 1-2 per 1,000 births, with rare violent acts but common suicide risk.
Women’s-health research allocates only 6 % of its funding to postpartum mental health.

History

Historical Context

On June 20 2001, Houston mother Andrea Yates drowned her five children, sparking debate over the M’Naghten-rule insanity standard. Her 2002 conviction was overturned in 2005 after a prosecution psychiatrist gave false testimony, and a 2006 retrial found her not guilty by reason of insanity, prompting reforms in how postpartum psychosis is treated in criminal cases. The precedent now informs a Massachusetts case with similar mental-health defenses.

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Clancy Pleads Not Guilty

Lindsay Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder counts for the Jan. 24, 2023 deaths of her children Cora, Dawson and Callan in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
Prosecutors say she cut herself, jumped from a window and is paralyzed, while defense attorney Kevin Reddington claims psychosis, overmedication and a voice.
Psychiatrist Alia Goodheart said she saw no psychosis during Clancy’s Jan. 1-5, 2023 stay, while toxicologist Justin Brower found drug levels below toxic thresholds.

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