A forensic psychologist testified Tuesday that Lindsay Clancy told her husband she had heard a male voice instructing her to kill her three children and then take her own life.
The testimony came as Clancy’s defense continued presenting evidence that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis when the January 2023 killings occurred.
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Paul Zeizel, a forensic psychologist who evaluated Clancy after the deaths, told jurors that he personally heard her make the disturbing claim during a phone conversation with her then-husband, Patrick Clancy.
Clancy is accused of killing her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — at the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Her defense does not dispute that she strangled the children with exercise bands but argues that she was experiencing a profound psychiatric disorder and was not criminally responsible for her actions.
Psychologist Says Clancy Described Hearing a Male Voice
Zeizel told the court that he first met Clancy while she was recovering in a hospital following the killings and her subsequent jump from a second-story window.
At the time, he recalled, Clancy was handcuffed to her hospital bed.
During one of their interactions, Zeizel allowed Clancy to use his cellphone to contact Patrick. Patrick did not answer that initial call.
Several days later, Zeizel and Clancy attempted to contact Patrick again. This time, Patrick answered and the conversation took place over speakerphone.
According to Zeizel, Clancy then described hearing a voice that she believed was directing her actions.
“She had said that she heard a male voice ordering her, telling her that she didn’t have any choice, but she had to kill her children and then kill herself,” Zeizel testified.
The allegation is particularly significant for the defense because hallucinations and command voices can be associated with severe psychotic disorders.
Defense Relies on Alleged Psychosis
Clancy’s attorneys have argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis around the time of the killings.
The defense has presented testimony about her worsening mental health, including insomnia, anxiety, medication changes and other troubling symptoms in the months leading up to the deaths.
Family members have also described changes in Clancy’s behavior.
Her former mother-in-law, Sue Clancy, previously testified that Lindsay had become increasingly distressed and was “begging for help” before the killings.
A defense psychiatric expert also criticized aspects of Clancy’s medical treatment and questioned whether potentially relevant physical causes of postpartum symptoms had been adequately investigated.
The prosecution, however, has argued that Clancy deliberately killed her children and has challenged the defense’s portrayal of her mental state.
Psychologist Says He Did Not Believe She Was Faking
Zeizel also testified that he conducted a psychological evaluation of Clancy and did not believe she was pretending to experience the symptoms she described.
He became involved in the case after receiving a call from Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington.
His testimony gives the jury another account of what Clancy reportedly said about her state of mind after the killings, although the jury must ultimately determine what weight to give that statement and whether it establishes the level of mental impairment required under Massachusetts law.
Clancy Survived After Jumping From Window
After the children were killed, Clancy cut her wrists and jumped from a second-story window in what prosecutors and the defense have both described as an apparent suicide attempt.
She survived but suffered severe spinal injuries that left her paralyzed and now uses a wheelchair.
Patrick was the first witness called by prosecutors when the trial began. He has since divorced Lindsay and remarried, but has publicly said that he forgives his former wife.
Zeizel remained on the witness stand when Tuesday’s proceedings ended, with Reddington continuing his questioning.
As the defense presents its case, testimony about the alleged voices, Clancy’s psychiatric history and the treatment she received before the killings could become central to the jury’s decision over whether she should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children.
