The Massachusetts mother accused of strangling and killing her three children before attempting to take her own life was struggling with postpartum mental health issues exacerbated by “overmedication,” her lawyer claims.
Lindsay Clancy, 32, is facing charges for the strangling deaths of her three children in an incident that occurred on Jan. 24. Clancy’s husband, Patrick, had reportedly left the home for a short period of time to pick up takeout and run an errand when he arrived back to find that his wife had allegedly attempted to commit suicide by jumping out of the window of their home and his children strangled, the Boston Globe reported.
Clancy was reportedly suffering from postpartum psychosis and was undergoing treatment, but her lawyer states her condition was worsened by “horrific overmedication” of psychiatric drugs and states the couple sought help in managing those medications, the outlet reported.
Lindsay Clancy, Duxbury woman accused of killing her children, was overmedicated on several prescription drugs, defense lawyer says. https://t.co/ggHemcf1sL
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 3, 2023
“We’ve got a person who suffered grievously as a result of what possibly could be postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis,” lawyer Kevin J. Reddington told the Boston Globe. “They [Lindsay and her husband Patrick] went to doctors repeatedly saying ‘Please help us.’ This was turning her into a zombie … the medications that were prescribed were over the top, absolutely over the top.”
Clancy was reportedly prescribed 13 psychiatric medications between October and January, some of which, her lawyer contended per the Boston Globe, “caused homicidal ideation” and “suicidal ideation.”
“She had medical care and treatment on a regular basis. And her husband was very proactive in trying to protect her and help her with the doctors’ medication she was prescribed,” Reddington continued, according to the outlet. “They went through hell — and they didn’t come back.” (RELATED: Father Of 3 Children Slain By Mother Issues Statement: ‘Forgive Lindsay’)
Keith Halpern, a defense lawyer with experience representing people with mental illness, agreed with Reddington’s assessment telling the outlet that “there are medications which taken in the proper dosages can cause psychosis, let alone in a situation where you’re mixing medications. I hope when people read about things like this happening, their reaction is to feel sympathy for this woman, because it’s just inconceivable that she did this intentionally.”
Reddington was granted permission to waive law enforcement rules at the hospital where Clancy is being treated in order to have her examined by a forensic psychologist, the Washington Post reported. Reddington hopes that at Clancy’s arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday, he can convince the judge to allow her to await sentencing either at home with GPS monitoring, a secure psychiatric facility, or rehabilitation hospital, the Boston Globe reported.
Reddington is also looking into the possibility that Clancy’s medications may have caused “involuntary intoxication” which, under Massachusetts law, could result in a “lack of criminal responsibility,” the outlet stated.