Lindsay Clancy trial takes unexpected turn as prosecution expert admits case ‘minimizes’ her struggles

A forensic psychiatrist for the prosecution during Lindsay Clancy's murder trial has admitted that the case 'really minimizes' the struggles she was going through.

Now in its third week of active testimony, the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy is expected to wrap up today (August 27), with jury deliberations due to begin as early as tomorrow (August 28).

The defence yesterday (August 26) wrapped up their cross-examination of the prosecution's forensic psychiatrist Dr Gregory Saathoff. Clancy's defence attorney, Kevin Reddington, read through the prosecution's opening statement, in which they claim Clancy 'manipulated' her healthcare team.

Quizzed over whether 'the evidence in your opinion supports that contention', Dr Saathoff first said: "Well, there is a lot in that."

When pressed again, he responded: "I think that statement that you read really minimizes what [Clancy] was going through."

"Alright, thank you," Reddington responded, ending his questioning.

The portion of the statement her attorney read out stated: "Lindsay made a calculated decision. She was a woman who no longer liked the life she thought she wanted.

Clancy jumped from a second-floor window after killing her children. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"It was getting harder and harder for her to control and when she saw the opportunity to escape, she made the selfish choice to take it and to take Cora, Dawson and Callan first before attempting to take her own life.

"She chose to manipulate her providers, seek out a quick and easy fix when she was feeling depressed and anxious and when she didn’t get what she expected, she chose the alternate route."

It continued: "She would seek a different doctor, she would change medications after days, she disengaged from treatment when she didn’t like the plan.

"After only four months in treatment, she made a choice, a deliberate and intentional decision, that she did not want to try anymore. And because no one could take care of her kids the way she wanted them to, she had to take them with her too."

Elsewhere in his testimony, Dr Saathoff noted that it was unusual for Clancy to have only ever heard voices during the killings - not ever before and never again after, while adding that there were 'inconsistences' in her recollection of events.

She is now paralyzed from the waist down. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

While Clancy has admitted to strangling her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, to death, her legal team are seeking a 'not guilty' verdict by reason of insanity, claiming she was suffering an extreme episode of postpartum psychosis when she killed the children.

Throughout the trial, the jury has sat through the testimony of roughly 85 witnesses, including 10 defence witnesses.