Will Lindsay Clancy take the stand? Can defendants choose not to testify? What we know

Lindsay Clancy's murder trial has been ongoing in a Plymouth, Massachusetts courtroom. The 35-year-old mother is accused of killing her three children - Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months - on January 24, 2023. Lindsay has not taken the stand yet, but she has communicated with the court through vocal answers to the judge's questions and through her diary entries read aloud in court.

Her defense attorneys argue that she suffered from a psychotic episode due to postpartum mental illness at the time of the murders. Prosecutors claim Lindsay "acted intentionally, rationally and swiftly" when she fatally strangled her children. Patrick Clancy, Lindsay's ex-husband, testified about finding his children fatally injured and Lindsay's mental health struggles. It remains unclear if Lindsay will take the stand in the trial.