@meghannmcuniff: A prosecutor told a Massachusetts jury today that woman who killed her three children was "dealing with mental health issues" but still made a calculated decision to murder. "This is not a public debate about women's mental health and how the medical system treats women. This case is about this defendant, Lindsay Clancy," Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham told the jury in her 20-minute opening statement tjhis morning (Monday, July 27). Clancy "had a means and access to mental health that most people don't, and she chose to deal with her mental health issues in the worst way." "She chose to manipulate her providers, seek out the quick and easy fix when she was feeling depressed and anxious, and when she didn't get what she expected, she chose an alternate route. She sought a different doctor. She changed medications after days. She disengaged from treatment when she didn't like the plan. After only four months in treatment, she made a choice-a deliberate and intentional decision-that she did not want to try anymore. And because no one could take care of her kids the way she wanted them to, she had to take them with her," Buckingham said. Buckingham said "people with mental illness commit crimes every day and are responsible for them." "The fact that someone may suffer or have a mental illness, a mental disease, or defect is not the end of the inquiry when it comes to guilt or innocence. It is whether a person can appreciate the wrongfulness or criminality of the conduct and conform their conduct to the law. Do they know what they were doing, and can they control their actions? The evidence in this case, will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant coldly and efficiently executed first Dawson, then Cora, then Callan," she said. Clancy's trial deals with serious mental health issues. If you or someone you know needs help, you can call or text 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor. You also can visit 988lifeline.org or dial 800-273-8255 [TALK]. You can watch the entire opening statements and all testimony on my YouTube channel or Facebook page. #law #crime #court

Meghann Cuniff

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Monday 27 July 2026 16:10:02 GMT