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Lindsay Clancy— Case Archive
personpersonPhillip ResnickPhillip ResnickForensic psychiatrist and professor at Case Western Reserve University with experience studying parents who kill their children.← All People
Expert witnessCase Western Reserve University

Phillip Resnick

Courtroom still of Phillip Resnick.

Forensic psychiatrist and professor at Case Western Reserve University with experience studying parents who kill their children.

Appeared2026 Criminal Trial
157 lines·15 proceedings·15 mentions

About

Phillip Resnick testified remotely for the defense on Day 18, offering a forensic psychiatric opinion that Lindsay Clancy lacked criminal responsibility for the killings. Under Kevin Reddington's questioning, he described a three-hour interview in May 2023, collateral interviews, and extensive record review. His resume was admitted as Exhibit 287 without objection.

Resnick diagnosed bipolar II disorder with severe depression and said Clancy was psychotic at the time of the killings. He attributed her conduct to command hallucinations, perceived external control, and distorted thinking that she was acting morally for her children. In his opinion, she could not conform her conduct to law. He qualified the postpartum formulation, acknowledging that psychosis eight months after childbirth was uncommon, and did not claim she was continuously psychotic throughout the day.

Resnick described MMPI findings as showing no symptom faking, not as a general test of truthfulness. He acknowledged that Clancy had withheld impulses to harm her children from doctors and explained that constant staff observation prevented her from acting on suicidality in hospital. The judge limited jurors' use of her evaluation statements and sustained an objection to a broader question about mothers' fears of disclosing intrusive thoughts.

On cross-examination, Jennifer Sprague challenged his reasoning through his teaching materials, writings on malingering, and treatment records. Three Tewksbury record sections addressing clinical stability, reported hallucination history, and intact reality testing were admitted as Exhibits 288 through 290 without objection. Resnick conceded that reported commands can be fabricated and mental illness can coexist with exaggeration, but maintained his opinion: Clancy had resisted harmful impulses before later acting under a command accompanied by a psychotic belief that her children would be better off in heaven. He also disputed Sprague's characterization of his testimony training. The defense declined redirect.

Trial Record (15)

2026 Trial2026 Criminal TrialJul 27, 2026 – Sep 4, 2026Called by defense

Phillip Resnick testified for the defense that psychosis left Lindsay Clancy unable to conform her conduct to law at the time of the killings. He maintained that opinion under cross-examination challenging it through his writings, Clancy's undisclosed harmful impulses, and treatment records.

Day 8

Day 16

Day 18

DirectPhillip Resnick - Direct ExaminationPhillip ResnickKevin Reddington2highlightsMentioned91lines spoken

Summary

Defense psychiatrist Phillip Resnick attributed Clancy's conduct to psychosis and inability to conform to law. The judge limited jurors' use of her evaluation statements.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightResnick describes MMPI results as showing minimization rather than exaggeration and clarifies that the test concerns psychiatric symptoms, not general truthfulness.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
testimony highlightResnick gives his criminal-responsibility opinion, explaining his conclusions about inability to conform conduct, command hallucinations, and Clancy's distorted belief that killing her children was morally right.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossPhillip Resnick - Cross-ExaminationPhillip ResnickJennifer Sprague2highlightsMentioned66lines spoken

Summary

Sprague tested Resnick's psychosis opinion against his writings and treatment records. He maintained his opinion; three Tewksbury record sections were admitted.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightAllowed to explain his answer, Resnick maintained that Clancy's belief that her children would be better off in heaven was a psychotic distortion accompanying the reported command hallucination.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
evidence eventSprague questioned Resnick about Tewksbury entries describing clinical stability, limited reported hallucinations, and no observable psychosis. Three record sections were admitted without objection and marked Exhibits 288, 289, and 290.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

ClosingClosing Argument - DefenseKevin ReddingtonMentioned

Summary

Reddington argued that medication, treatment failures, and psychosis left Lindsay without criminal responsibility. He challenged the investigation and prosecution experts, disputed interpretations of physical and digital evidence, and emphasized the Commonwealth's burden of proof.

Mentioned in this proceeding.