Lindsay Clancy trial continues as jury hears competing accounts of postpartum mental illness

While her husband was out, Irish pediatric nurse Diedre Morley killed her three children and then unsuccessfully tried to kill herself on Jan. 24, 2020 -- three years to the day before Lindsay Clancy did the same.

As the Massachusetts mother faced trial for killing her three children, many Americans found themselves sympathizing with the defendant.

In a special edition, we examine a case that has gripped the United States and sparked debate over postpartum mental health. Former nurse Lindsay Clancy from Massachusetts stood trial for the deaths of her three children. She said she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and the court proceedings ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. FRANCE 24's Annette Young speaks to Meghan Cliffel, who experienced postpartum psychosis after the birth of her second child, and Dr. Susan Hatters-Friedman, the psychiatrist who treated her.

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney is asking a Massachusetts judge to acquit her of charges that she killed her three young children

Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children to death in 2023, is “not very good” and remains “suicidal” after her high-profile murder trial, her defense attorney Kevin Reddington told NBC News on Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview.

Patrick Clancy has broken his silence following his ex-wife’s mistrial (Picture: Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Patrick Clancy — the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering their three children — has spoken out for the first time after a judge declared a mistrial on Friday. Patrick’s attorney, David Meir, made a statement on his client’s behalf, thanking the court and jurors for their work in the trial. However, Meir also stated that a prospective second trial would take a huge emotional toll on Patrick, who would have to relive the deaths of his children once again. The full statement said: ‘Patrick Clancy is grateful to the Court and to the jurors for their hard work, their commitment, and their perseverance. ‘The loss of Patrick’s children is something from which he will never recover and from which there will never be closure. ‘The prospect of reliving this tragedy through another trial is extraordinarily painful — for Patrick, for his family, and for all of us.’ Lindsay Clancy was on trial for the murders of her three young children in January 2023 (Picture: Facebook) Lindsay Clancy was on trial for the murders of their three children: Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight, in January 2023. Lindsay does not deny killing her children by strangling them with an exercise band in the basement of their home, but her defence claims she was in a state of postpartum psychosis when the crimes took place, and therefore was not criminally responsible for her actions. The prosecution says that, while there was no doubt Clancy was suffering from depression, she still made a calculated decision to kill her children. They also allege that Clancy deliberately sent Patrick out on an errand at the time of the killings so that she was free to commit the crimes. Lindsay then attempted suicide by self-harming and jumping from a second-storey window. The suicide attempt left her paralysed from the waist down. But after almost six weeks, over 80 witnesses, and 35 hours of deliberation, the deadlocked jury of nine women and three men could not reach a unanimous decision, and her case was deemed a mistrial. In the lead-up to the mistrial last week, the jury forewoman sent Judge William Sullivan, who was presiding over the case, a note saying one juror would not follow the judge’s instructions on reasonable doubt. Reasonable doubt is a legal term that refers to the lack of evidence proving the guilt of a criminal defendant. Defence attorney Kevin Reddington says he doesn’t think Lindsay could handle a second trial (Picture: Greg Derr/Pool The Patriot Ledge) This led to Lindsay’s defence attorney, Kevin Reddington, requesting that the juror who reportedly could not agree with the other 11 — and who he seemingly accidentally revealed was male — be removed. ‘That juror told you that he would be able to apply the law to the facts as you asked him,’ Reddington said, appearing to reveal the juror’s sex for the first time. The attorney also argued the juror has made statements ‘acknowledging doubt’ but ‘refuses to apply the verdict’ by the letter of the law. He added: ‘Clearly, we have a person who, under their oath, stood in front of you yesterday … under oath looked you in the eye and lied.’ Lindsay has broken down in court multiple times (Picture: Mark Stockwell/Pool The Boston H) Following the mistrial announcement, Reddington spoke to the press about the juror who ‘refused to be persuaded’ by the others. ‘Where do I begin to thank these jurors, minus one,’ he said. ‘I have no idea what that guy was thinking; I have no idea why he did what he did. They know that they were robbed by one man, for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors that were so attentive, so beautiful, so wonderful.’ Reddington added: ‘You could see how defeated they were sitting there. I’ve got a funny feeling that they would have gone on for another week if they had to. ‘I would like to meet with him and ask him why. I hope that guy can sleep well at night. ‘It was a horrible investigation; it was not even an investigation. This was a very sad case.’ Ahead of the mistrial, Reddington also told reporters that he didn’t think Lindsay could handle another trial. Lindsay’s family were in court every day (Picture: AFP via Getty Images) Those who have followed the case will have seen the former labour and delivery nurse break down in court multiple times, including wailing, ‘I can’t do this’ during testimony about the injuries her children suffered in their deaths. However, Reddington — who described Lindsay as someone who felt like a ‘daughter to me’ during a news conference — did say ‘bring it on’ should they have to go to trial again. Lindsay’s mother and father, Michael and Paula Musgrove, and her sister, Allison Ozga, were escorted by state police out the back of the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after the mistrial announcement. As they left, they did not make a comment to reporters. Lindsay returned to Tewksbury State Hospital after a judge declared a mistrial in her murder case.  She remains in custody under psychiatric care. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source