Judge Strikes 'Mortal Sin' Question in Lindsay Clancy Trial Over 3 Child Killings
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 18
Judge Strikes 'Mortal Sin' Question in Lindsay Clancy Trial Over 3 Child Killings
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 18
Summary
Jurors were told Aug. 18 to ignore a prosecutor’s question asking defense witness Susan Clancy, a Catholic, whether she knew murder is a “mortal sin.”
Judge William Sullivan struck the question before she answered, barring jurors from considering it “for any reason, or any purpose.”
Susan Clancy was among the defense’s first witnesses as Lindsay Clancy, 36, argues she lacked criminal responsibility in the January 2023 deaths of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months.
Prosecutors rested Aug. 17 after arguing Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband out for takeout and medicine before strangling the children with exercise bands.
The case has drawn broad attention to postpartum mental health; a first-degree murder conviction would bring life without parole, while a lack-of-responsibility verdict would typically mean state hospital commitment.