Lindsay Clancy didn't show 'break with reality' as jury weighs psychosis defense: Susan Smith prosecutor

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The prosecutor who secured a conviction for Susan Smith, who drowned her two sons, says Lindsay Clancy’s defense never proved a “break with reality” as jurors prepare to deliberate following Thursday’s closing arguments.

Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family’s home in January 2023. Prosecutors rested their rebuttal case on Wednesday afternoon, with closing arguments scheduled for Thursday before the jury begins deliberating,

Her defense attorney argues that Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when killing her children, a claim that has been heavily refuted by prosecutors.

However, Pope said that one of the things that “jumps out” for him is a clear lack of motive in Clancy killing her children, which was present in the Smith murders.

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“In this one, it’s hard to see the end game,” Pope said, referring to the murder case against Clancy. “What was her goal after? Let’s say that even jumping out the window was a suicidal gesture, which obviously went terribly wrong for her, if that was the case. But what was her end game? And that’s one disconnect I see.”

WATCH: FBI psychiatrist says financial strain weighed on Lindsay Clancy before killings

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Gregory Saathoff, a University of Virginia forensic psychiatrist who consults for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, testified Wednesday that financial pressure was among the stressors Clancy faced and may help explain why she killed her children.

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Saathoff said Clancy felt her “brain had been damaged” and could no longer do the work she loved or help support her family, which left her with a sense of being a burden.

WATCH: Prosecution psychiatrist in Lindsay Clancy trial says severe insomnia can lead to psychosis

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington questioned Saathoff about his experience with terrorism, drawing from him an acknowledgment that sleep deprivation is employed as a form of torture and that severe insomnia “can actually lead to psychosis.” Saathoff confirmed the point, saying, “Yes, it’s possible.”