Story summary
Lindsay Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse from Massachusetts, is on trial for killing her three young children in January 2023. The trial has garnered significant attention due to the tragic nature of the case and the complexities of Clancy's mental state at the time of the incident. Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, arguing that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis, a condition that made her unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions.
Over the course of five weeks, prosecutors called more than 70 witnesses, including Clancy's then-husband and family members who testified about her declining mental health in the months leading up to the killings. The defense presented 10 witnesses, including friends and relatives, who offered differing conclusions about Clancy's mental state.
The trial has been marked by intense emotional testimony, with Clancy at one point breaking down in tears during a session where she was questioned about the fatal injuries inflicted on her children. More than 80 witnesses testified throughout the trial, which is expected to conclude soon.
Clancy's supporters have gathered outside the courtroom, mostly women who argue that they could have easily been in Clancy's place due to systemic failures around maternal health. Postpartum psychosis affects roughly one to two out of every 1,000 births, and many experts have spoken about the inadequacy of current laws in dealing with such cases.
The jury is deliberating on several options, including guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter. Clancy's lawyer argues that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the incident, while prosecutors claim that Clancy made a calculated decision to kill her children.
The trial has been marred by controversy, including an incident where a supporter was arrested for filming jurors as they left the court. The case has sparked intense debate about the treatment of new mothers and the adequacy of current laws in dealing with cases involving mental illness.
Written for “Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial” on 2026-09-03,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
Lindsay Clancy supporter arrested outside court, and other dramatic moments from the murder trial
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supporter → arrest → trial
Jurors still deadlocked in trial to determine if woman is criminally responsible for killing her 3 children
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woman → deadlocke → children
This article contains details about violence against children, infanticide and suicide.
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article → contain → children
On Wednesday, as jurors in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial started deliberating for a fifth day, a dramatic scene unfolded in another courtroom.
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scene → start → courtroom
A 56-year-old woman was arraigned in Plymouth District Court on a charge of intimidation of a witness, jurors, or person in connection with Clancy's trial.
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woman → arraign → trial
Dawn Light is accused of filming jurors as they left the court a day earlier, not long after they'd told the judge they couldn't agree on whether Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her three children.
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Clancy → accuse → children
Light's attorney called it a "misunderstanding," and said she was trying to film Clancy.
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she → call → Clancy
Meanwhile, in the courtroom for Clancy's trial, Judge William Sullivan opened proceedings by giving a general admonishment about following his orders on how people should conduct themselves.
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people → open → themselves
Yet, it was far from the first time the trial has been overshadowed by the frenzy surrounding it.
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trial → overshadow → it
Clancy's trial has gripped the public for the past five weeks, sparking debates about maternal mental health, launching online conspiracy theories and creating dramatic moments both inside the court and out as the livestreamed trial has generated intense interest.
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trial → grip → interest
Clancy, 36, is accused of killing her three children in 2023 while her then-husband was running an errand.
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husband → accuse → errand
Over the past five weeks, jurors at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass., have heard that she strangled Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and eight-month-old Callan with exercise bands in the basement of their home in the Boston suburb of Duxbury.
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she → hear → Duxbury
Clancy's defence doesn't dispute the killings.
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defence → dispute → killings
But they argue she isn't criminally responsible because she had bipolar disorder and was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare and little-understood mental health condition that can affect a new mom's sense of reality.
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that → argue → reality
Prosecutors argue Clancy is guilty of three counts of first-degree murder because she plotted to get her husband out of the house so she could carry out the killings.
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Here are some of the dramatic moments that have unfolded since the trial started July 27.
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trial → unfold → moments
'Crime junkie' arrested outside court
Let's start with the most recent: the woman accused of filming jurors.
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's → arrest → jurors
In a statement to CBC News, Massachusetts State Police confirmed that Light was taken into police custody at approximately 3:40 p.m. ET outside the Plymouth District Courthouse.
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Light → confirm → Courthouse
Why Lindsay Clancy, on trial for the deaths of her 3 children, has so many supporters
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Clancy → have → supporters
How different would Lindsay Clancy's murder trial look if it happened in Canada?
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it → look → Canada
A prosecutor said Light was parked in a restricted area behind the courthouse and is accused of filming jurors as they left court.
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they → say → court
Light told state police she was waiting to film Clancy and denied recording jurors, however, troopers found video of jurors in her phone's deleted-files folder, the prosecutor said.
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prosecutor → tell → folder
In court, Light described herself as a "crime junkie" and Clancy supporter, according to the New Haven Register.
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Light → describe → Register
A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf and she was released without having to post bail, but was ordered to stay away from the court, the jurors and any witnesses in the case.
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she → enter → case
Lawyer asks for mistrial
Another dramatic moment happened on Aug. 24, when a witness was reprimanded for bringing up Clancy's Catholic religion.
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witness → ask → religion
Dr. Kirk Heilbrun was recalling a conversation he'd had with Clancy in April.
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he → recall → April
"One of the things that she said when I asked about what happened, is that in the course of strangling each child, she said, 'Go to God, baby.
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she → say → God
Go to God,' " he said.
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he → go → God
"She was raised as a Catholic.
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As I understand Catholic considerations, that's not necessarily what happens.
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what → understand → considerations
But when I asked her about that, when I said, 'Isn't suicide a mortal sin?' " he said, before defence objected and the judge called the attorneys to the side.
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judge → ask → side
Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, requested a mistrial, calling it "over the top."
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attorney → request → top
It also wasn't the first time the prosecution brought up the concept of "mortal sin," Reddington said, and suggested it was professional misconduct.
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it → bring → sin
The judge denied the request, but later instructed the jury to disregard the reference to "the religion that the defendant was raised with," calling it "an absolutely inappropriate area of testimony."
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defendant → deny → testimony
Joe Tamburino, a legal analyst interviewed by CBS News, explained religion has no part in a trial and it was "completely wrong" for the witness to bring it up.
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witness → interview → it
Reporter's credentials pulled for viral grin
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credentials → pull → grin
Right around the time Sullivan denied the defence's request for a mistrial, CourtTV's livestream showed a moment in the media gallery that caught some observers off guard.
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that → deny → guard
As the camera panned the room, a woman in a green dress appeared to smile at the camera, shrug and wink.
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woman → pan → camera
The moment with the "green dress woman" quickly went viral, with people accusing her of being disrespectful in a triple-murder trial.
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people → go → trial
CBC News has viewed the footage.
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News → view → footage
…and 34 more, not listed.
