Accused NC killer mom plans insanity defense — as retired judge says more may follow Lindsay Clancy strategy

Andrea Faust's insanity defense in her son's killing draws direct parallels to Lindsay Clancy's postpartum psychosis case as jurors deliberate.

What makes the case impossible for a jury is that Massachusetts law only allows for bad options when ruling on an insanity defense. The one sensible solution, voluntary manslaughter, is off the table, writes Jed Rubenfeld.

While jurors consider the case of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy, a New York City judge has found another mother — who also killed her children — not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Dimone Fleming, now 26, had repeatedly stabbed her sons — Octavius Canada, 11 months, and Daishawn Fleming, 3 — before

A not guilty verdict would not automatically free Lindsay Clancy, who could face years of psychiatric confinement and court reviews.

Both cases expose the challenge of recognizing when severe mental illness has become dangerous and intervening in time.

The NYC verdict comes as a Massachusetts jury deliberates in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial

A jury is left to decide the fate of US mother Lindsay Clancy, who has spent five weeks on trial for the murder of her three young children.

Lindsay Clancy’s future remains uncertain as jurors decide whether she belongs in prison or long-term psychiatric care.