Inside Lindsay Clancy murder trial that's divided the US after mum faces charges for killing three children

Inside Lindsay Clancy murder trial that's divided the US after mum faces charges for killing three children The trial of 36-year-old mother Lindsay Clancy, who does not deny killing her three young children, but argued she had postpartum psychosis, has divided the US, as a jury struggles to reach a verdict The US has been gripped by a murder trial into a mum who faces charges for killing three of her children, but who argues she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time. Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with murder of the 2023 deaths of her children: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. Clancy, a former labour and delivery nurse, doesn't deny strangling her children but says postpartum psychosis led to her actions. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Prosecutors argue she knew what she was doing. Clancy had been on maternity leave when the children were strangled. The father of the children, Patrick Clancy, discovered the dead children in the basement when he came home from running errands. The murder trial began at the end of July but jurors, on Tuesday, ended a fourth day of deliberations without a verdict after earlier saying they couldn't agree whether the mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children. This trial, which has been live streamed to the public, has stirred up lots of interest and discussions in both the US and across the world on postpartum depression and mental health. What happened to Clancy's children? On January 24, 2023, Clancy and her then-husband had been at their home in coastal Duxbury, Massachusetts, with their kids. Patrick told the court, during the trial, the mum had been outside with her kids helping them build a snowman. He said: "She was having one of her best days." Clancy had told her husband at the time that she was having thoughts about harming her children or suicide. Later in the evening, Patrick left the home to pick up dinner and medication. But he returned, he saw his three children were dead in the basement and Clancy was injured in their garden after a suicide attempt. She remains paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. The three young kids were strangled with exercise bands. What is the trial about? Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of assault and battery. The trial hinges on her mental health and whether the killings were intentional. The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder and her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, maintains she was so mentally ill that she shouldn't be held criminally responsible for the killings. According to her defence, she had bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis which, ultimately, led her to believe she heard a voice telling her to kill the children so she could end her own life. In diary entries Clancy wrote in the months before the killings, she described feeling anxious, overwhelmed, preoccupied with the details of her infant's care, beset by "brain fog", and "desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone". Prosecutors however argued she acted intentionally. They told the court Clancy was involved in everyday activities the day of the killings. This included taking her kids to the doctor and playing with them in the snow. The prosecution claims she deliberately sent Patrick to do errands to get him out of the house, and prosecutors have questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt. What is postpartum psychosis? Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby, according to the NHS. Symptoms of this serious condition include hallucinations, delusions, mania, low mood and confusion. It affects around 1 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth and should be treated ats a medical emergency, according to the NHS. People with postpartum psychosis may not realise they are ill and could need their partner, family or friends to spot the signs and call for help. Postpartum psychosis is different to mild mood changes experienced after having a child, know as "baby blues", which are normal and only last a few days. Did Clancy testify in court? The court heard from Clancy's ex-husband, lawyers and over 70 witnesses, including family members and medical staff. Clancy however chose not to take the witness stand. Throughout the trial Clancy was held at a psychiatric hospital, Tewksbury Hospital, but came into court. She watched the proceedings from the defence table, occasionally weeping, as when prosecutors showed autopsy photos of the children to the jury. Did the mum try to get help? According to court testimonies, the mum's mental health started to decline around three months after Callan was born when she was due to return to work. In September 2022, Clancy sought help from multiple providers and programmes. She also checked herself into a psychiatric hospital for several days in early January 2023. Clancy's defense argued her care was disjointed and her medication was not managed well. Clancy and her ex-husband have separately sued several people who treated her. Those claims have not been heard in civil court yet. A clinic, which saw Clancy, testified that although she reported feeling suicidal, she denied having a plan to harm herself or anyone else and didn’t exhibit signs of mania or psychosis. The 36-year-old's mum however claimed Clancy told her and then-husband in December 2022 that she thought about harming the children. What are the potential outcomes of the trial? After a fourth day without a unanimous decision from the jury, Judge William Sullivan told them to keep trying. They're expected to resume deliberations on Wednesday. The jury could convict her of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if jurors believe her deteriorating mental health was to blame. A conviction could lead to a life prison sentence. If she is acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines she is a danger to the public. If jurors can't reach a verdict and a mistrial is declared, the charges against Clancy would remain. Prosecutors would need to decide whether to try Clancy again before an entirely new group of jurors. Prosecutors could offer a plea deal to Clancy, although her attorney is more likely to push for them to drop the charges, said Brad Bailey, a Boston defence attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case. When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. 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