Judge denies Lindsay Clancy mistrial as rebuttal witness testifies
Judge William Sullivan denied a Lindsay Clancy mistrial motion on Monday after prosecution rebuttal witness Dr. Kirk Heilbrun referenced her Catholic upbringing and suicide as a mortal sin. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington called it intentional misconduct, but the judge struck the testimony and sent jurors home early on Day 19.
Key Takeaways
- Prosecutors called rebuttal witnesses Dr. Avram Mack and forensic psychologist Kirk Heilbrun on Day 19 of the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.
- Defense attorney Kevin Reddington moved for a mistrial after Heilbrun discussed Catholic teachings on suicide; Judge Sullivan denied the motion and ordered jurors to disregard the testimony.
- Heilbrun testified that Clancy's account of hearing voices only on the day of the killings was unusually convenient and potentially exaggerated.
- Dr. Mack disputed postpartum psychosis as a recognized DSM diagnosis during a combative cross-examination.
- Closing arguments are expected later this week in the closely watched Massachusetts trial.
What happened in court on Day 19 of the Lindsay Clancy trial?
Monday marked Day 19 in Plymouth Superior Court, where Lindsay Clancy stands trial for the January 2023 deaths of her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — at the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. Prosecutors say she strangled the children after sending her husband Patrick on errands, then jumped from a second-story window and was paralyzed from the waist down.
The defense rested Friday without Clancy testifying. Prosecutors then began calling rebuttal witnesses to counter defense expert Dr. Phillip Resnick, who argued Clancy suffered bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. Monday opened with a tense cross-examination of psychiatrist Dr. Avram Mack, followed by testimony from Drexel University forensic psychologist Dr. Kirk Heilbrun.
Why did the defense seek a Lindsay Clancy mistrial?
The courtroom erupted when Heilbrun, evaluating Clancy's moral understanding, said she told each child to "go with God" while killing them and expected to reunite with them in heaven. He then asked whether suicide was a "mortal sin," reviving an issue Judge Sullivan had already struck from the record during prior testimony.
Reddington moved for a mistrial, describing the faith references as "intentional misconduct." Sullivan denied the motion but gave an emphatic instruction: "The religion that the defendant was raised with is absolutely an inappropriate area of testimony." Jurors were dismissed for the day and will return Tuesday to continue Heilbrun's testimony. For broader coverage of high-profile cases like this, see our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries hub.
What did the rebuttal witnesses say about Clancy's mental state?
Heilbrun diagnosed Clancy with bipolar II disorder but testified her reported auditory hallucinations on Jan. 24, 2023, raised red flags. He said genuine command hallucinations typically involve delusions and last longer than the 18 to 20 minutes Clancy described, and that symptoms appearing only during a crime can be a convenient way to avoid culpability.
He also noted that when Patrick Clancy returned home, Lindsay said she tried to kill herself but did not mention the dead children or hallucinations — behavior he said pointed toward an extreme suicide attempt rather than altruistic filicide. Earlier, Dr. Mack told the court he saw no evidence of mania and declined to recognize postpartum psychosis as a formal DSM diagnosis, calling it a proposed illness — a position Reddington challenged aggressively throughout the morning.
When will closing arguments begin?
With rebuttal testimony nearing its end, closing arguments are expected later this week, according to NBC Boston and NBC News live coverage. Attorney Rachel Fiset told CBS News the trial is entering its final phase as jurors prepare to decide not whether Clancy killed her children, but whether she can be held criminally responsible.
The case has drawn national attention to postpartum mental health, with hundreds of supporters rallying outside the courthouse last week. Clancy, who did not testify, faces murder charges as the jury weighs competing psychiatric expert opinions on her state of mind in January 2023.