Jury begins deliberations in trial of US mother accused of killing her three children

A Massachusetts jury has begun deliberating the fate of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of intentionally and with premeditation killing her three children, aged between eight months and five years. Clancy does not dispute that she killed her two sons and daughter, but the trial has focused on her state of mind and motive at the time.

The panel of nine women and three men finished its first day of deliberations on Thursday and is set to continue on Friday. A first-degree murder conviction in Massachusetts carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Jurors could also return a verdict of second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter, both of which would still carry prison time. Alternatively, if Clancy is found not guilty by reason of insanity, she would not go free but would instead be committed to a psychiatric hospital, potentially for life.

During closing arguments on Thursday, defence attorney Kevin Reddington maintained that Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed the children with exercise bands at the family home, before attempting to take her own life by jumping from a window — an attempt that left her paralysed and reliant on a wheelchair during the trial. Reddington argued that Clancy should not be found guilty because she was suffering from a serious illness, and said he did not believe prosecutors could prove otherwise.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague acknowledged that Clancy was mentally ill but argued that she was still able to distinguish right from wrong when she killed her children. Sprague told jurors that despite receiving considerable support and care, Clancy had concealed thoughts of harming her children from doctors before the killings.