Jurors are excused without reaching a verdict in Lindsay Clancy murder trial

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Jurors were excused Friday afternoon after not yet reaching a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The jury in Plymouth, Massachusetts, must decide whether to hold the former labor and delivery nurse criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. They are expected to resume deliberations Monday.

While both sides agree she killed her children, Clancy’s attorneys argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis, with Kevin Reddington saying “ lousy medical care ” exacerbated her condition. Plymouth County prosecutors argued she intentionally planned the killings and that the nation’s healthcare system is “ not on trial here.”

Postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality. It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions. Though most people with postpartum psychosis don’t harm their children, mothers with severe cases may try to do so, and also may try to harm themselves.

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Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.