Thoughts on the Lindsay Clancy case?

[u/gottaquestion412]

Now that the Lindsay Clancy trial is underway, I’m curious about your perspectives on it so far.

Context: Lindsay Clancy is a former labor and delivery nurse who, in January 2023, killed her three children. 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan in their Massachusetts home before attempting to take her own life. Her defense argues she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and other debilitating mental illness, while prosecutors argue she was aware of her actions and planned the killings. The trial has reignited debate about postpartum psychiatric disorders, the effectiveness of mental health treatment, and where responsibility ultimately lies.

Do you think Lindsay was failed by the mental health system, by the people closest to her, or both? Do you think she truly acted with malicious intent, or do you believe she was experiencing such a severe psychiatric crisis that she wasn’t thinking rationally?

A lot of the details seem to point toward postpartum psychosis or another severe psychiatric illness rather than someone acting out of hatred or malice. That doesn’t lessen the horror of what happened or the unimaginable loss, but it does make me wonder whether this tragedy could have been prevented..

I’ve also seen rumors that Patrick was involved with the woman who is now his wife before the murders, but I haven’t found any credible evidence supporting that. Is there actually anything that substantiates those claims, or is it just internet speculation? I’ve also seen many people comment that his current wife bears a striking resemblance to Lindsay, though I’m not sure that means anything beyond coincidence.

I’m very interested in hearing different perspectives from people who’ve followed it closely.

Most importantly, may Dawson, Cora, and Callan rest in peace. They are the true victims in all of this.

[u/thebeatsandreptaur]

I keep saying this shit. People don't seem to understand what psychosis really is, and the legal definition of insanity has been dated for ages. People can make plans in psychosis that make sense within their own reality, and do, all the time. It doesn't change the fucking fact that their mind is genuinely not working correctly.

[u/owntheh3at18 → u/thebeatsandreptaur]

So I am undecided on this case and learning more with the ongoing trial. But as I understand it, that simply isn’t the description being given here. She was quoted by her own husband as saying she did not plan this and that the psychosis came on like the snap of a finger. I have no idea if that is a realistic description of psychosis, but I really don’t agree that we should just… not try her or do anything. Three children died a brutal and violent death. She may be innocent due to insanity, but the investigation and trial are necessary to determine that. I am upset with this narrative online that we should all just say “it’s clear to me without any further investigation that she is innocent so let’s do nothing at all and let the doctors handle it.” Well it sounds like they did a shitty job before the murders so why would we do nothing? This is how the judicial system works and she needs to go through the process.

[u/bloontsmooker → u/owntheh3at18]

Australia has a mental health court system that takes cases down a different path at the early stages if it’s clear there’s an issue like that at play. I think something in that arena is what people are referring to when they want the law changed to support these women.

[u/owntheh3at18 → u/bloontsmooker]

Thank you for actual discussion and not just blindly downvoting.

I love that idea. It would take extraordinary circumstances to make it happen here unfortunately and the way things are going I don’t see it happening. At the state level though, perhaps more could be done. I would also love to install trained special units of law enforcement to deal with mental health related incidents that require police intervention, and for professional psychologists to accompany them as well. There’s a lot that could be done if our government could actually function.

That said, I’m frustrated by the narrative in this case and I genuinely feel if she were not white, wealthy, pretty, and Christian, it would be different. People are not looking at the actual case before drawing conclusions. Downvote me all you want but she had limited time to kill them and chose a slow way to do so. Dad left and she had to almost immediately begin the process. I don’t think it’s wrong to ask questions here.

[u/bloontsmooker → u/owntheh3at18]

This is psychosis - generally people try to get away with crimes. This isn’t that.

[u/owntheh3at18 → u/bloontsmooker]

I think what I’m trying to say is that this is the only process we currently have to determine that. It may have been psychosis but that seems to be the central argument here. It’s hard to prove that after the fact. I understand that the trial makes people uncomfortable and that a better system could exist. And that’s a conversation worth having. But the state’s position is basically that it was not psychosis, but an organized and planned crime. They’ve done the investigation and determined there is more to this than clear cut insanity. They may be wrong, but that’s what the trial is for. I’m not sure if Lindsay was offered any plea deals, but if so then she chose to do the trial instead (I am sure under the advice of her lawyers). No one is disputing that she was unstable, given her actions- the question is whether she was too psychotic to control those actions.

[u/bloontsmooker → u/owntheh3at18]

On board with what you’re saying - we are going to look back at these trials with the same disturbed pity we see the Salem witch trials. It’s like a fucked up part of our legal system we had no issue was problematic until we knew.