Dr. Umar: Lindsay Clancy Showed Premeditation, Not Psychosis, Recommends Death Penalty
Originally published by AllHipHop Read the original
Dr. Umar Johnson is calling for justice in the Lindsay Clancy case, arguing the Massachusetts woman should face prison time for strangling her three children.
The clinical psychologist broke down why he believes the defense’s mental health claims don’t hold up against the prosecution’s evidence of premeditation.
The defense argued she suffered from undiagnosed postpartum psychosis and heard voices commanding her to kill her children. She was on 13 different psychiatric medications at the time.
But Johnson rejected the mental health defense outright.
“There is nothing in bipolar, even bipolar with psychotic symptoms. There’s nothing in bipolar that can justify you choking out your three children,” he said. “These are the babies she gave birth. These her babies. Bipolar is manic depressive. You have mood swings that go from super depressed to super motivated and happy and wanting to conquer the world. That ain’t got nothing to do with homicide.”
Johnson pointed out that Clancy was never actually diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenia. Most of her medical providers testified in court that she didn’t meet the definition for psychosis.
“She’s never been diagnosed with a psychotic episode. She’s never been diagnosed with brief psychotic disorder. No schizophrenia,” Johnson explained.
The prosecution presented damning evidence of planning. Clancy sent her husband to the store before strangling the children – a detail Johnson found particularly telling.
“If you were so psychotic and you heard a voice telling you to unalive your three babies, why did you have to wait for him to leave to do it?” Johnson asked. “If the urge was that strong, why you worry about where the husband at? They’re saying she had the cognition and the sense of awareness to organize and orchestrate this murder.”
After killing her children, Clancy cut her wrists and neck, then jumped from a second-floor window, paralyzing herself from the waist down.
The prosecution argued these injuries were superficial, suggesting she was faking a suicide attempt to cover up premeditated murder.
The jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict after four days of deliberations.
Nine women and three men told the judge they couldn’t reach a verdict, potentially resulting in a mistrial.
Johnson predicted the case would end in a hung jury again if retried. What struck Johnson most was the racial disparity in how the case was being treated.
“If a black mother choked out her five-year-old, her three-year-old, and her eight-month old, do you think they outside that courtroom fighting for her to get free? A black mother she be in jail,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s bottom line: Clancy should go to prison or face the death penalty.