Final Lindsay Clancy witnesses to take the stand after 'mortal sin' comments sparked calls for mistrial

Updated: 09:00 EDT, 25 August 2026 The Lindsay Clancy jurors are set to hear from the final witnesses after the prosecution's psychologist’s remarks over ‘mortal sin’ sparked a near mistrial.Dr Kirk Heilbrun will be returning to the stand for the remainder of his direct testimony, before the defense cross-examines him today.Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, asked the judge to declare a mistrial on Monday after Heilbrun testified that he asked the nurse if she knew suicide was a 'mortal sin.'Judge William Sullivan denied the motion but told the jury to disregard the statement and warned the state that they need to ‘strongly’ talk to the witness.Clancy, 36, is on trial for the murders of Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 2023.She strangled the children with exercise bands and then allegedly attempted to kill herself, but her efforts failed and left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life.Clancy has admitted to killing her children but pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis, and is seeking to be committed to a state mental health facility rather than face a prison sentence.If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.Follow along for live updates... Dr Heilbrun testified Monday that he evaluated Lindsay Clancy earlier this year.In his expert opinion, she did not have psychosis but was severely suicidal and killed the children because she did not want them to suffer without her. This contradicts the defense experts who said that she had postpartum psychosis and cannot be held criminally responsible.His testimony - and the day - ended early when the defense requested a mistrial, after Dr Heilbrun brought up the catholic faith and mortal sin. Heilbrun told the jury on Monday that when he was interviewing the killer, he noted she was Catholic and said to her, 'Isn't suicide a mortal sin?'Reddington objected, then asked the judge to declare a mistrial, accusing the prosecution of intentional misconduct based on the line of questioning.This was the second time religion came up during the prosecution's testimony. The judge denied the mistrial request, but warned the state to speak with its witness, and jurors were told to disregard the comments.The Trial USA podcast takes you inside Lindsay Clancy murder trialOn the latest episode of The Trial USA, crime correspondent Rachel Sharp takes listeners inside Plymouth Superior Court for day fifteen of the Lindsay Clancy trial, the second day of the defense's case.Rachel has been covering every single day of the trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, keeping our readers up to date with live reports and filing video roundups from the scene.Clancy murder trial discusses suicideLindsay Clancy is accused of murdering her three children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan – in January 2023.Although the 36-year-old does not deny killing her children, she has pleaded not guilty and claimed she is not responsible for her actions because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.On the day of the killings, Clancy asked her husband, Patrick Clancy, to leave their home to get takeout food and to pick up something at a pharmacy.The former nurse strangled the children with exercise bands, then used multiple methods to try to end her own life.She was paralyzed after falling from the home's second-story window and is being held at a state hospital.If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.Inside the Lindsay Clancy evidence you didn't seeThe Lindsay Clancy murder trial has gripped the nation - now Daily Mail and 2WAY are going deeper into the chilling case that left three young children dead.Audiences can tune into the new live show streaming Tuesday, August 25th at 1pm ET on Daily Mail Crime Desk YouTube channel.Psychologist say Clancy's suicide attempt was 'very serious,' but claims she was not in psychosisDr Heilbrun testified that he believed Clancy was not in psychosis when she killed the children, but was severely suicidal.He said that Clancy's 18-minute singular 'auditory command hallucination' at the time that she killed her children was one that she had never experienced before, which was 'highly unusual' in his expert opinion.Heilbrun also said that the phrase Clancy said to her children when she killed them also points to altruistic filicide.Altruistic filicide is the killing of one's children out of love, when the disturbed mind believes that they would be better off dead. Clancy said to her children as she strangled them, 'Go to God, baby,' according to Heilbrun.He said that was part of her expectation that she and the youngsters would be together in heaven.'She was raised as a Catholic and this as I understand Catholic considerations that's not necessarily what happens,' Heilbrun said.'But when I ask her about that, when I said, "Isn't suicide a mortal sin?"' he continued before Reddington's objection.The Daily Mail's Rachel Sharp describes Patrick Clancy's horrific 911 callCrime correspondent Rachel Sharp joined NewsNation to recount hearing Patrick Clancy's 911 call that was played in court.What to expect at today’s trialToday, Dr Kirk Heilbrun will return to the stand for the remainder of his direct testimony before the defense cross-examines him. Then we are expecting to hear from a third state rebuttal witness.This afternoon, Judge William Sullivan said he expects to hold a hearing about the charges. Clancy is charged with first-degree murder, but the jury could instead find her guilty on lesser charges. The defense is calling for involuntary manslaughter as well as second-degree murder to be put on the table.Closing arguments are expected to begin tomorrow.