In Mother We Trust - The Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial

It is imperative for me to admit that I am at a crossroads when it comes to the media circus that is the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. I attest to the fact that this has become a movement of compassion and understanding versus the execution of the law and justice. My thoughts have been ripped apart and placed together again, piece by piece before writing this with the utmost fragility because the central focus, postpartum psychosis isn't one that should be handled with insensitivity. "Mother knows best," we have been taught this since the dawn of time and yet it is a mother we now dangle as a symbol of cruelty and despicable inhumane terror for taking the lives of three children. I am still unable to fathom which is worse, having to live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you snatched the lives of the little ones you once swore to protect or having to stare into the eyes of the person who brought you into this world as she monstrously snuffs the life out of you while you draw your last breath. This is why I have taken the liberty of splicing this case inch by inch to build a bigger picture which will allow my conscience to mold perfectly with my need for justice to be served accordingly. In my pursuit of answers, I have stumbled upon two sides of an unnoticed coin. Perhaps, I am thinking ambitiously, but I do feel these sides deserve to gain wider attention. It would be wrong of me not to begin with the most important side of the coin- the head - which we have all come to acknowledge is Lindsay Clancy herself. I try to place myself into the mind of a person who has outrightly spoken out about her mental health. In her own words, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I want help. I want to be well".Imagine experiencing command hallucinations from a male voice urging you to commit acts of violence against your own children. Lindsay Clancy had made it known that she suffered from delusional and violent thoughts after giving birth to her third child in 2022. According to the mental health institutions who offered her treatment in the following months she admitted to this, she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. She was prescribed heavy doses of medication which Lindsay's lawyers will try to use in her defense later on as the cause that hastened the momentum of her manic downward spiral. On January 24, 2023, this treatment had become heavily scrutinized because Lindsay strangled her three young children with exercise bands, killing two on the spot and while leaving the third to succumb to his injuries days later. Thus, the underlying question rears its ugly head, "Did the healthcare system fail to properly pull the reins on Lindsay Clancy before her explosive episode that wrecked her life? Moreso, did medication serve as a contributing factor that led to the loss of three young lives?" I question the assertion that regardless of psychosis or not, it was not a premeditated crime. How else do we explain her successful attempt at making her then husband leave the premises before taking her children's lives? So, my first question arises, "Was she in full awareness of her actions on that fateful day or are we left to believe that timing and the coercive voices that echoed in her mind had been responsible for carefully plotting things out?This brings me to the second side of the coin- the tail- which is a less embraced narrative that comes in the form of Michael Péguy Desronvil. Michael is infamously known as the only juror who voted against Lindsay's not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. Why, you ask? I asked myself the same question and my deduction is highly controversial. Perhaps, Micheal is a man of common sense who doesn't believe in voices or the disconnect that comes from being diagnosed with an incipient mental disorder. What would make a man go against eleven empaths in a case which seemed quite open-and-shut in my opinion?Perhaps, his domestic assault and battery charge by his ex-wife which started as a dispute involving a crying infant is the first place we could look. Perhaps, the restraining order issued by his nephew whom he previously assaulted and was active prior to and during the time of Lindsay Clancy's murder trial is the next thing we consider. Did Michael Desronvil actually not see the possibility of a young mother losing her mind and committing a despicable act or was he sure of her guilt because he recognized a monster in her that already existed in himself? If Michael was offered leniency and absolved of his charges, why didn't he choose to render the same compassion to a woman who had been proven to not be of sound mind prior to her acts of horror? Sadly, I am yet to uncover the reason for his actions. I am also yet to uncover the answers to any of my questions. What I have discovered is that I am not a judge. I am not a lawyer. I am not a psychiatrist and I do not know what it means to live with voices that make you turn to the worst version of oneself, but it is safe to say that I am a human being. I am a person who intends to have children one day whom I hope to cherish and protect. I am also a compassionate being who cannot judge based on experiences I have never had. This is why I think Lindsay Clancy should be given proper medical treatment after which she should be made to serve considerable time behind bars for her crimes. It is only proper to offer justice for three children who were completely innocent in this horror story. They deserve compassion too. It is also proper to present Lindsay as an example for those who wish to cloud the extent of their crimes with the mask of a deteriorating mental health. In the end, Lindsay would have better chances of survival by protecting her from not only herself, but people she could possibly harm. While, I cannot prove that she is guilty because of a manic diagnosis, I can also not prove in good faith that she is not guilty after taking the lives of the ones who were truly innocent.

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