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Commonwealth v. ClancyInvestigation Archive • 2026
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Dr. Kirk Heilbrun

- Board-certified forensic psychologist

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Dr. Kirk Heilbrun

Entity Type: Person

Role: Prosecution Expert Witness

Profession: Forensic Psychologist

Expertise: Criminal Responsibility, Insanity Defense Evaluation


Background

  • Board-certified forensic psychologist
  • Called as prosecution expert witness in Commonwealth v. Lindsay Clancy
  • Concluded Lindsay Clancy was "criminally responsible" at time of killings
  • Testified that Clancy killed children "out of love"

  • Expert Testimony

    Qualifications

  • Extensive experience in forensic psychology
  • Expert in criminal responsibility evaluations
  • Published research on insanity defense
  • Testified in numerous high-profile cases
  • Testimony in Clancy Case

  • Concluded Lindsay Clancy was "criminally responsible" at time of killings
  • Testified Clancy killed children "out of love" (to prevent them from witnessing her suicide)
  • Challenged defense claims of psychosis
  • Presented alternative interpretation of Clancy's mental state
  • Key Points

    1. Criminal Responsibility

  • At time of killings, Clancy was able to appreciate wrongfulness of actions
  • Did not meet criteria for insanity defense under Massachusetts law
  • Mental state did not rise to level of psychosis
  • 2. Motive Theory

  • Testified Clancy killed children "out of love"
  • Argued she wanted to prevent them from witnessing her suicide
  • Presented as alternative to psychotic episode theory
  • 3. Challenged Defense Claims

  • Questioned credibility of psychosis diagnosis
  • Presented alternative explanations for symptoms
  • Challenged defense expert conclusions

  • Research and Publications

  • Published research on criminal responsibility
  • Studies on insanity defense evaluations
  • Work on forensic psychology assessments
  • Expert opinions on mental state evaluations

  • Related Entities

  • Lindsay Clancy - Defendant
  • Jennifer Sprague - Lead prosecutor (who called him as witness)
  • Dr. Phillip Resnick - Defense expert (opposing expert)
  • Dr. Gregory Saathoff - Prosecution rebuttal witness
  • Plymouth Superior Court - Where he testified

  • Sources

  • Trial testimony (July-August 2026)
  • Expert witness report
  • Published research
  • Court documents
  • Media coverage
  • Sources: cross-referenced from timeline (48 events), transcripts (YouTube-linked, 14), filings (35) and glossary (73). See related records above for direct links to files and transcript parts.