A Bronx judge has found a mother of two not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2022 deaths of her young children, ruling that she was not criminally responsible because of severe mental illness. The case has drawn fresh attention as a Massachusetts jury deliberates the fate of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her three children amid claims that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
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Dimone Fleming, 26, was found not responsible by mental disease or defect for the deaths of her 3-year-old son Daishawn Fleming and 11-month-old Octavius Canada at a family shelter in the Bronx.
Mental health experts for both the prosecution and defence concluded that Fleming was experiencing psychosis at the time of the killings.
A prosecution psychiatrist said Fleming was “grossly psychotic and out of touch with reality”, experiencing hallucinations and believing that a spirit had invaded her body. Defence experts said she believed her actions were necessary to protect or “cleanse” her children.
Fleming had previously spent about two months receiving treatment at a Queens hospital, where she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and prescribed psychiatric medication.
However, court records showed she did not consistently take the medication and was using marijuana daily, which reportedly worsened her symptoms.
The children were found with multiple stab wounds in a bathtub after a shelter employee called 911 on November 26, 2022, reporting water and smoke coming from Fleming’s apartment.
Police initially took Fleming to a hospital for evaluation after finding her behaving irrationally. The children’s bodies were discovered later after their father, Columbus Canada, went to the apartment.
Fleming, who was then 22, had been charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors told the court that pursuing a double-murder trial would not serve justice, while stressing the importance of public discussion around such cases.
Fleming will remain in custody for now and undergo another psychiatric evaluation to determine whether she poses a threat to others. She is due back in court on September 18, and could remain in a psychiatric hospital for months or years.
Canada, Octavius's father, attended Monday’s hearing and said he forgives Fleming. He described her as a “good person” and a loving mother.
Lindsay Clancy case
The Bronx ruling comes as jurors in Massachusetts deliberate in the closely watched case of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — at their Duxbury home in January 2023.
Clancy’s defence has argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder when she strangled the children before attempting suicide.
Prosecutors, however, have argued that the killings were intentional and planned. After five weeks of testimony, the jury began deliberations on August 27.
The two cases have drawn comparisons over the role of postpartum psychosis in mothers accused of killing their children. Experts say postpartum psychosis is rare but can involve hallucinations, delusions and a severe break from reality, with symptoms emerging after childbirth.
