A lawyer for Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her children while she was experiencing extreme postpartum psychosis, has confirmed that more than $1m raised through a GoFundMe campaign will not be used to cover her legal fees.
Thousands of people have donated to the GoFundMe campaign meant to cover the funeral expenses for Ms Clancy’s children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and seven-month-old Callan Clancy. An attorney for Ms Clancy, who is charged with murder for allegedly strangling the children on 24 January, clarified to Law&Crime that the funds “have nothing to do with” his client’s legal defence.
Ms Clancy appeared in court from a hospital bed for her arraignment on Tuesday, where a judge ordered she be transported to a rehabilitation facility following her release from hospital.
Attorney Kevin Reddington has said he is in the early stages of gathering evidence to build Ms Clancy’s defence. In an interview last week with The Boston Herald, he said that the mother-of-three was overly medicated, in a “zombie-like” state and going through a severe postpartum psychosis after giving birth to her youngest son.
Ms Clancy, a labour and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, had taken a sick leave to treat her condition. After allegedly killing two of her children and fatally injuring the third on 24 January, Ms Clancy jumped out of a second-storey window.
Her husband Patrick Clancy, who was working from home on the day of the tragedy and had briefly stepped out of the home to pick up take-out food, has since issued a heartbreaking plea asking the public to forgive Ms Clancy and saying that “the real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone.”
The tragedy has rocked the small town of Duxbury and the country, with more than 15,000 people donating to the GoFundMe.
According to its initial description, the funds would go towards “medical bills, funeral services, and legal help,” before Mr Reddington clarified that Ms Clancy legal fees will not be covered with money from the account. Baby Callan survived the attack but died three days later at the hospital.
The fundraiser’s organiser also said that the “assistance is especially needed because Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy.”
Mr Reddington told Law&Crime that he plans to argue in court that Ms Clancy did not have the mental capacity to commit murder. Ms Clancy will be screened for PPD by a forensic psychologist.
“It’s absolutely staggering. She had homicidal and suicidal ideations,” Mr Reddington told The Herald. “She was in a living hell and the husband did the best he could.”
“She was a very sweet, loving mother,” he added.” There is no doubt she was an incredible mother … she was so loved [by] all the nurses she worked with at MGH who said she always talked about her kids.”
Currently, Ms Clancy is only charged with two counts of murder. She is expected to be charged with an additional count of murder following Callan’s death last week.
Ms Clancy is currently being treated in an unnamed hospital, where police say her condition is “improving.”
Postpartum psychosis occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries, according to Postpartum Support International. Risk factors include a previous psychotic episode and personal or family history of bipolar disorder.
