Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial heard emotional journal entries Monday in which the Mᴀssachusetts mother described feeling overwhelmed and pleading for help just two months before the deaths of her three children.

According to testimony, Clancy wrote that she was “so desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone” as she struggled with severe insomnia, anxiety, and overwhelming guilt over ending breastfeeding and beginning sleep training for her infant son.

In one journal entry dated Nov. 18, 2022, she wrote:

“It’s like I’m so desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone that my mind is trying to make something physically wrong with me.”
In another entry, she added:

“I want help. I want to be well.”
The journal, which contained entries from October 2022 through January 2023, was recovered from Clancy’s home by Mᴀssachusetts State Trooper Cory Melo and introduced as evidence during the trial.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, is charged with the deaths of her children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—on Jan. 24, 2023. She later attempted to take her own life and survived after suffering severe spinal injuries that left her paralyzed.

Her defense team argues that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis, claiming she sought treatment for months but was misdiagnosed and prescribed numerous psychiatric medications. They are asking the jury to find her not criminally responsible because of her mental condition at the time.

Earlier in the day, jurors heard testimony from psychiatrists who treated Clancy while she recovered at Brigham and Women’s Hospital following her suicide attempt.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jhilam Biswas testified that when she met Clancy shortly after the incident, Clancy communicated by writing because she was sedated and on a breathing tube.

When asked about her emotional state, Clancy wrote a single word:

“Horrified.”
She also asked:

“Is my body broken? Are my legs straight?”
During cross-examination, defense attorney Kevin Reddington questioned whether someone experiencing postpartum psychosis could still appear calm or coherent.

Dr. Biswas agreed that people with psychosis can experience periods of clarity depending on the individual.

Another psychiatrist, Dr. Sejal Shah, also testified that Clancy appeared cooperative during her hospital stay and did not express suicidal or homicidal thoughts during their conversations.

When asked by the defense whether someone could still communicate, make plans, and function while experiencing psychosis, Shah answered:

“Yes.”
She also agreed that a person does not have to appear visibly disoriented to be experiencing a psycH๏τic episode.

Jurors additionally heard emotional testimony from physicians who treated baby Callan after the incident. Intensive care specialist Dr. David Casavant described efforts to save the infant, explaining that although Callan’s heartbeat briefly returned, repeated neurological testing confirmed he had suffered irreversible brain injury. After discussions with the family, life support was withdrawn several days later.

Throughout the testimony, Clancy was seen wiping away tears while listening to the evidence.

The trial continues as prosecutors seek to prove that Clancy was legally responsible for her actions, while the defense maintains that severe postpartum psychosis prevented her from understanding the nature of what she was doing.

Source: New York Post