Lindsay Clancy case: was it evil, or severe mental illness?

I had a similar thing. C section, no proper sleep for almost 3 days and started hallucinating when I got home at night. Second baby I went home the next day. was so much better!
I can’t even begin to imagine what she could have experienced with all of the symptoms and meds

Ok, my view, yes she is evil. This does exist, I do believe some people are evil! Whether or not she had a mental illness or psychosis (unlikely as baby was 8 months old) doesn't mean she is one or the other. She killed her children in the most violent way.

But that isn't really addressing the specifics of this case is it? A voice in her head told her to do it. That is what she said. She may have been sleep deprived sure, and flat as you say, and depressed, but that isn't what she is defending herself on. Its the pyschosis. And this bit really really matters - because that is her defence. And I don't believe it. Why would the voice only appear for 18 minutes? Why not before or since? What other evidence is there that she had psychosis other then her claiming this as a defence for murdering her children? She was pretty vocal about being unwell, and switching to 13 different medications, but the voices were strangely absent.

How do you know she had this mystical psychosis and Chris Watts didn't? Their cool level-headed pre-planned murders of their children one by one (in front of each other) were very similar indeed. She's also going to trial defending herself rather than wanting to die like most normal people would after killing their own kids. Why is Chris Watts not considered mentally ill? I mean, he clearly is by anyone's standards.

There are no inconsistencies. There is no evidence needed to prove her guilt because the evidence has already been examined. We won’t see it in court because it’s not needed.

She decided she was going to kill herself and she was taking the children with her. She also wanted PC to find her, hence the timings.

Im not sure why these three children’s lives mean so little that their murderer receives so much support. I want her found guilty. I don’t really care what happens to her after that.

That case is freakishly similar. Same date and initials of kids.

A friend of mine had PPP and looking back (now she is well), she can remember it with chilling clarity. She ‘knew’ that she had to kill her newborn but just needed the right time. Thankfully her health visitor knew something was badly wrong and my friend was sectioned. She’s now fully recovered but I can absolutely see how Lindsay Clancy could have wholeheartedly believed she was doing the right thing, while in the grip of PPP.

@XelaM no not all child murderers are insane. I don’t know why people have to generalise about this. It’s a specific case not a global analysis of child murderers!!

What makes you think he was with the woman he subsequently went on to marry while on that hiking trip? Be specific.

And what do you think prison will achieve that a secure psychiatric hospital would not?

There have been a few cases like this in this country and they’re generally found to be manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. And then subject to a hospital order.

It’s just awful to consider what happened to the children. The one person who is meant to protect them did the opposite. Those poor dc.

Just beyond thinking about really.

I want to know how society is served by putting her in prison? I think we are all safer if she spends time in an environment where she can get serious mental health treatment.

Because she needs to (a) be punished for killing 3 children, (b) other people need to be deterred from killing their kids and (c) she should never be released and be given the opportunity to get pregnant and kill more kids.

It's a very challenging case. There are many almost unbelievable cock-ups in the investigation and things that are difficult to make sense of. But I would argue many, if not most, murderers are mentally unwell. Where does that line get drawn. A truly awful and terribly sad case.

Agree and if she has ongoing mental health issues, she should receive the appropriate treatment and then serve her life sentence.

Thank you lovely!

and I think what makes it more sad, is that I’m not that special you know, many many other women have stories similar to mine, the founder of pregnant then screwed posted something similar.

i even forgot in my post that I’d said to the HV I think I should give up my parental rights and we should consider adoption, I’d forgotten that detail but that’s how concerned I was that I wasn’t safe.

i had gaps in my memory, where I’d remember being in one room and then next thing I’d be in another without the baby and I had no recollection how I got there. That led to hugely instrusive thoughts that I’d shaken the baby and just wouldn’t know.

i had dreams where I was dangerous, that when I would wake up i genuinely didn’t know if they were real or not.

i remember the peri natal team recommending mum and baby groups and saying but im sleeping an hour a day, I don’t think I can be behind a wheel of a car safely, In fact I don’t feel safe at all. They sent me a dvd on baby massage to do at home.

The difference is between life without parole in a federal prison or the rest of her life in a psychiatric facility, there is no option of having more kids available to her

It was all planned out though. I read that she arranged for her dh to do an errand and actually googled how long it was to the store and back so she knew how much time she had. Incriminating searches were also found on her devices. I’m sure she was depressed, but don’t think she was insane. Should at least be found guilty of manslaughter.

You think there is a time stamp on mental illness? What a woefully ill informed position to take.

no the term evil belongs in fairy tales. She’s not evil, but to be clear neither is ted bundy or any other prolific killer. They’re humans and that’s a very uncomfortable reality, and humans can do horrible horrible things.

the question is to my mind is she like ted bundy? Well not really no

Why are people acting like she did it when there was no real police investigation and the jury couldn’t convict (11-1) because of reasonable doubt?!
and also where is the outrage at the police for doing such a shoddy investigation (three children now won’t get proper justice) and the father for at best leaving them with her knowing how much meds she was on and how mentally ill she was and then swanning around with his new pregnant gf?

I haven't really followed the trial but I knew about it. Couldn't believe her defence lawyer tonight. Said the jury had lost six weeks of their lives. His client robbed three innocent children of their lives in a most brutal way. It will be a total travesty of justice if she isn 't guilty of at the very least manslaughter.

And one of them didn’t die straight away, but died after being taken to hospital. It’s heartbreaking to think of that poor child lying in the basement left to die, fighting for their life.

Posts like this are indicative that something very strange is going on in relation to these murders. I have heard it described as Karmelo Anthony for white women and I can see why. For anyone who hasn’t heard of KA, he is a young black man in the US who murdered a white young man and, despite it being a pretty open and shut conviction, received huge support from many, mainly black, people, with huge sums raised and so on).

I am not comparing people wildly claiming that LC did not kill her children and/or that her exh did to those saying she should not be found guilty of first degree murder. Obviously these approaches are worlds apart. But I do think everyone should consider the extreme responses this case has raised - women dressing up in pink to stand outside the courthouse, the huge sums raised, the TikTok videos of women holding their babIes saying “Same, Lindsay”, the grinning and winking woman journalist etc etc - and should ask what on earth is going on to cause this.

Good post

Lack of forensic evidence on the murder weapons
inconsistency in the ‘confession’
a contaminated confession
his own mother supporting Lindsay in court
rhe jury deliberating longer than the police investigated
the behaviour of the husbnad
most of the evidence is ‘Patrick said’ and a woman should not be convicted on the hearsay of her husband. Sets a v bad precedent