Remarks about Catholic doctrine were at the center of a charged dispute on Aug. 24 in the ongoing high-profile murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, who stands accused of strangling her three children before she attempted to take her own life.
The trial in Plymouth Superior Court has ignited a national debate around mental health and postpartum psychosis. Supporters have argued that Clancy — who strangled her three small children on Jan. 24, 2023, at her Duxbury, Massachusetts, home — was suffering from postpartum mental conditions that mitigated her alleged responsibility in the killings.
Her legal team has conceded that she killed the children but has argued that she was not responsible for her actions. Clancy tried to take her own life just after she allegedly carried out the murders.
On Aug. 24 Kirk Heilbrun, a professor of psychology at Drexel University, appeared as a witness for the prosecution at the trial. During his testimony he said Clancy claimed to have told her children “Go to God, baby” as she was strangling them.
“That was part of her expectation that she and the children would be together in heaven with God,” Heilbrun said. “She was raised as a Catholic, and this, as I understand Catholic considerations — that’s not necessarily what happens.”
“But when I asked her about that, when I said, ‘Isn’t suicide a mortal sin?’” he continued, at which point Judge William Sullivan halted the proceedings and held a discussion with attorneys.
After a 20-minute recess, Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington asked for a mistrial, claiming that the prosecution was guilty of “intentional misconduct” for “injecting” religion into the proceedings. He cited another instance earlier in the trial in which the Catholic faith was discussed.
Prosecutors argued against the request. Sullivan ultimately denied the request for the mistrial, though he said he would tell the jury to “disregard” Heilbrun’s remarks about Catholicism.
“I’m going to tell them it’s an inappropriate area of inquiry, and that this witness’ understanding of Catholic dogma or Catholic teaching is irrelevant,” Sullivan said.
The trial continued on Aug. 25 with several more witnesses. Heilbrun himself returned to the stand, stating that he felt Clancy was “criminally responsible” for the alleged murders of her children.
“She retained an awareness of the illegality of killing others, including her children,” he told the court. “Her moral awareness of this killing was influenced by her strong desire to die and, if she was dead, not to leave her children behind.”
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