Need help now? Free, confidential help lines, 24/7. Get help
Topic
Insanity defenses, competency and how courts weigh mental illness in criminal cases.
Video · Bench WatchD. Mass. · No. 1:24-cr-10259-DJC
A federal jury in Boston convicted former Stoughton, Mass., police officer Matthew Farwell on Nov. 10, 2026, of killing Sandra Birchmore, 23, and her unborn son in February 2021. Jurors found him guilty on both counts, of killing a witness and of causing the death of an unborn child. Life in prison is mandatory. Sentencing is Feb. 3, 2027.
Updated November 14, 2026 · 4 min read
Video · WCVB Channel 5 BostonPlymouth Super. Ct. · No. 2383CR0019
Lindsay Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She pleaded not guilty and argued she lacked criminal responsibility because of postpartum mental illness. Her trial ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4, 2026, after the jury deadlocked. On Nov. 9, Judge William F. Sullivan ruled that she can be tried again. The case returns to court Nov. 16, when he plans to set a trial date.
Updated November 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Judge William F. Sullivan rejected her lawyers' double-jeopardy argument Nov. 9 and turned down prosecutors' request for a gag order. The case returns to court Nov. 16, when he plans to set a trial date.
· 4 min read
