Expert explains why Lindsay Clancy's religious beliefs have no legal weight

Closing arguments in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are set to commence on Thursday, with the case of a mother accused of strangling her three young children drawing attention to postpartum mental health. Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, claiming she was experiencing postpartum psychosis during the killings in January 2023. Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the murders and understood her actions were wrong.

Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and senior psychiatrist for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, testified on Wednesday as the final prosecution witness. He stated he did not believe Clancy’s account of a voice ordering her to kill the children, noting that she provided no instructions on how, where, or when to carry out the murders. Saathoff emphasized Clancy’s ability to execute the plan quickly and methodically, indicating she had control over the sequence of events.

Saathoff also expressed surprise that Clancy claimed the voice stopped after strangling the children, describing it as unusual since he had not encountered such a phenomenon before. Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, sought to undermine Saathoff’s expertise in postpartum psychosis, questioning his work with prisons, the Justice Department, and the Virginia attorney general’s office.

However, Saathoff maintained his qualifications, explaining he had treated women with postpartum psychosis in the past and focused recent research on extremist violence, national security, and political radicalization.