What was the verdict in Commonwealth v. Lindsay Clancy?

No verdict as of Aug 31, 2026. Trial ran July 29 – Aug 28, 2026 in Plymouth Superior Court. Jury began deliberations Aug 28 and is still deliberating. Possible outcomes: guilty, manslaughter, or not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility (McHoul).

What is the McHoul standard?

Under Commonwealth v. McHoul, 352 Mass. 544 (1967), a person is not criminally responsible if, as a result of mental disease or defect, they lacked substantial capacity to appreciate wrongfulness or conform conduct to law. Burden on Commonwealth beyond reasonable doubt.

Where can I watch the trial?

Each of the 14 transcript pages links its YouTube court recording via Court TV / Law&Crime / PBS NewsHour. No Rev.com paywall. See /transcripts and /media.

Dr. Phillip Resnick

Entity Type: Person

Role: Defense Expert Witness

Profession: Forensic Psychiatrist

Expertise: Filicide (killing of children by parents), Insanity Defense

Background

Board-certified forensic psychiatrist

National expert on filicide (killing of children by parents)

Testified for Andrea Yates in 2006 (infanticide case)

Called as defense expert witness in Commonwealth v. Lindsay Clancy

Concluded Lindsay Clancy was "clearly psychotic" at time of killings

Expert Testimony

Qualifications

Extensive experience in forensic psychiatry

Published research on filicide and parental mental illness

Testified in numerous high-profile cases

Recognized expert in psychosis and criminal responsibility

Testimony in Clancy Case

Concluded Lindsay Clancy was "clearly psychotic" at time of killings

Diagnosed her with postpartum psychosis

Testified she did not appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions

Explained psychotic symptoms and their impact on behavior

Key Points

1. Psychosis Diagnosis

Lindsay Clancy experienced auditory hallucinations

Reported hearing a male voice commanding her to kill children

Voice told her "This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself"

Symptoms consistent with postpartum psychosis

2. Lack of Criminal Responsibility

At time of killings, Clancy was unable to appreciate wrongfulness of actions

Psychotic state prevented rational thinking

Did not meet criteria for voluntary intoxication

3. Comparison to Other Cases

Drew parallels to Andrea Yates case (2005)

Both cases involved mothers killing children during psychotic episodes

Both involved failure of mental health system

Previous Cases

Andrea Yates Case (2005)

Testified for defense in State of Texas v. Andrea Yates

Yates drowned her five children in bathtub in 2001

Initially found guilty, later overturned and found not guilty by reason of insanity

Resnick's testimony was key to insanity defense

Research and Publications

Published research on filicide and parental mental illness

Studies on psychosis and criminal responsibility

Work on postpartum mental health disorders

Expert opinions on insanity defense criteria

Related Entities

Lindsay Clancy - Defendant

Kevin Reddington - Defense attorney (who called him as witness)

Dr. Kirk Heilbrun - Prosecution expert (opposing expert)

Dr. Gregory Saathoff - Prosecution rebuttal witness

Plymouth Superior Court - Where he testified

Sources

Trial testimony (July-August 2026)

Expert witness report

Published research

Court documents

Media coverage