A psychiatrist who treated Lindsay Clancy just days before she allegedly strangled her three children dropped a bombshell in court Friday—admitting she’s never actually treated a single patient with postpartum psychosis, the very condition the mom claims drove her to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁.
Dr. Alia Goodheart, who evaluated Clancy during a four-night stay at McLean Hospital, told the jury she’s “never seen any” cases of postpartum psychosis, even though she concluded Clancy wasn’t suffering from it at the time. The admission came during heated cross-examination by Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, who pressed the doctor on whether she missed warning signs.
The trial took another dramatic turn when Reddington claimed a “hot mic” caught a prosecutor saying “Shut her up” Thursday as Clancy sobbed while autopsy photos of her 8-month-old son were shown. The judge called both sides to sidebar, but the outburst highlighted the raw emotions in the courtroom.
Clancy, 35, doesn’t deny killing Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in January 2023. The former labor and delivery nurse faces three counts of first-degree murder and life without parole if convicted.
Her defense argues she wasn’t criminally responsible because she was suffering from undiagnosed postpartum psychosis, worsened by a cocktail of 13 psychiatric medications from five different doctors.
Earlier Friday, Dr. Jennifer Tufts, another psychiatrist who treated Clancy in the months before the killings, testified that Clancy was reluctant to take medication, stopped Zoloft after eight days due to side effects, and once admitted she was “close to” having suicidal thoughts—but never mentioned harming her children.
Tufts said Clancy denied homicidal or suicidal ideation during a Jan. 23 appointment, just one day before the tragedy. The doctor noted Clancy was depressed and anxious but didn’t appear psychotic.
The jury also heard that Clancy checked herself out of McLean Hospital early to attend her daughter Cora’s 5th birthday party, despite Goodheart wanting to monitor her sleep off antipsychotic medication.
Goodheart said she felt there were “protective factors” in releasing Clancy, including that she was “future oriented” and “clearly invested in her children.”
But Reddington hammered the doctor on why she didn’t contact Clancy’s other providers or run certain screenings, asking, “She was very sick, wasn’t she?”
Goodheart replied, “I don’t know what you mean by ‘very sick.’”
As the trial breaks for the weekend, all eyes are on Monday when Tufts faces cross-examination. With a psychiatrist admitting she’s never seen the condition at the heart of this case, what will the jury make of the defense’s core argument?
