Why are people more sympathetic to Lindsay Clancy than Andrea Yates? (Child death mentioned)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And to those that call her a MONSTER? YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING! We as a society need to ask for her forgiveness for being so misinformed and useless to her mental health issues she suffered from. Her pig of a husband didn't care! The only MONSTER THERE IS THE RELENTLESS ILLNESS THAT HAS NO PREJUDICE ON WHO IT CONSUMES! GET INFORMED! THERE CANT BE THAT MANY DERELICTS OF HUMANITY

Are you good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

Her husband is saying that his wife was a loving good woman - he doesn't say that the woman who killed his children is that woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

Her husband is saying that his wife was a loving good woman - he doesn't say that the woman who killed his children is that woman.

I also get weird vibes from the dad’s post too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

+1 good point. She didn't strangle and assault the kids while he was home, she waited for him to leave, and she moved quickly to complete the murders before he returned. Seems very planned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

You clearly don’t understand serious mental illness and psychosis.

Further, you don’t even understand basic language used by law enforcement and EMS personnel. There is no evidence that any of the small children ‘put up a big fight’. When a body is described as having obvious signs of trauma, that means trauma to the body - strangulation marks would qualify. It doesn’t take a lot of force for very long to render a young child unconscious by neck compression - it is unlikely that any of the children had much opportunity to defend themselves or put up a big fight.

In my experience and training as a former prosecutor this case seems a classic example of post partum psychosis. It is not inconsistent for a mind to be in the throes of psychotic distress and yet still capable of knowing that the objective of killing and suicide can only be achieved when the other adult has departed the house. If you fail to grasp this concept then all you are exhibiting is your ignorance about how truly serious mental illness and psychosis works. Good for you, honestly. I wish I had never had occasion to know these things. Many of us who do the work of law enforcement and mental health work wish we didn’t know these things. It must be nice to still be in the bubble of ignorance that tells you there is good and evil and black and white and nobody ever behaves in ways they don’t specifically intend. If only the real world was such a simple place. But it is not, and your ignorance renders your comments useless in this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

It is like he is clinging to his facebook potrayal of life and writing off this as a momentary abberation in his picture perfect family.
Why even talk about her? About how they hugged every morning !?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

Which comments seem off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

It is like he is clinging to his facebook potrayal of life and writing off this as a momentary abberation in his picture perfect family.
Why even talk about her? About how they hugged every morning !?

Perhaps because his completely traumatized brain is struggling to process the horror?

How do you think you’d manage if your life changed on a dime?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In reality everyone who commits murder is mentally ill because, if they were not mentally ill, they wouldn’t do it. To me (and I think the criminal justice system) she doesn’t deserve any more sympathy than any other murderer. Just because she is a white female who looks like us and has pretty pictures on social media does not change the realities of what she did and how she did it.

Another truly ignorant comment. Again, former prosecutor here. You are equating moral perversion with mental illness - they are not the same at all. Firstly the legal definition of mental illness mitigating responsibility for crime is very specific and a very high bar. That said there are many crimes committed by people who are mentally ill but not incompetent to stand trial or be held accountable for their criminal acts. Finally, the VAST majority of murders and other horrific crimes are NOT the result of mental illness. Most criminals are morally depraved but not mentally ill. The man who murders his wife rather than incur the cost of divorce is NOT mentally ill. The man who murders his girlfriend or wife in the throes of rageful violence born of toxic masculinity is NOT mentally ill. The teenager who murders a rival gang member as a right of passage is NOT mentally ill.

Please, stop minimizing and denigrating people who suffer with mental illness - the VAST majority of whom will never act out violently - by equating them with the morally depraved among us who take what they want and hurt who they want without regard to the bodily integrity of other human beings. The mentally ill are far more likely to be victims of such people than they are to be perpetrators of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

It is like he is clinging to his facebook potrayal of life and writing off this as a momentary abberation in his picture perfect family.
Why even talk about her? About how they hugged every morning !?

Perhaps because his completely traumatized brain is struggling to process the horror?

How do you think you’d manage if your life changed on a dime?

By not waxing poetic about my child's killer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

It’s all very off, especially the comments from the husband.

It is like he is clinging to his facebook potrayal of life and writing off this as a momentary abberation in his picture perfect family.
Why even talk about her? About how they hugged every morning !?

I haven't read his comments, but my guess, as a social worker who has worked with a lot of psychosis, is that it WAS a momentary aberration in his perfect family. I have seen nothing to indicate otherwise. His statement doesn't sound like anything other than a traumatized and grieving person.

[Anonymous]

Of course his comments are 'off'.

He just had his family and life obliterated in the most traumatic 30 minutes of his life in an incomprehensible way by the woman he loved. Nothing makes sense and it must seem so unreal that this happened. He just had left sitting by his dying baby's bedside for 3 days. On top of that he has the world watching and talking about them all and likely a thousand other things to deal with.

None of it makes sense. I am sure his emotions and thoughts are a washing machine and a blur right now. It is amazing he was even able to sit and write a well articulated article to tell the world about this family and to ask them not to add more pain and hate to his plate right now.

What is an 'on' comment given the situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not have sympathy for her. She must have been acting normal or her husband wouldn’t have gone out for take out and left her alone with the kids. She had enough self control to act fine and wait until he left to then strangle her three children one by one, and at least one of them put up a big fight. This does not sound like an out of control psychotic break to me. It seems like premeditated murder after lying in wait. I also do not know how her husband is singing the praises of the person who strangled his children less than a week ago. On a go fund me to raise money for himself no less. There is more to this story.

You clearly don’t understand serious mental illness and psychosis.

Further, you don’t even understand basic language used by law enforcement and EMS personnel. There is no evidence that any of the small children ‘put up a big fight’. When a body is described as having obvious signs of trauma, that means trauma to the body - strangulation marks would qualify. It doesn’t take a lot of force for very long to render a young child unconscious by neck compression - it is unlikely that any of the children had much opportunity to defend themselves or put up a big fight.

In my experience and training as a former prosecutor this case seems a classic example of post partum psychosis. It is not inconsistent for a mind to be in the throes of psychotic distress and yet still capable of knowing that the objective of killing and suicide can only be achieved when the other adult has departed the house. If you fail to grasp this concept then all you are exhibiting is your ignorance about how truly serious mental illness and psychosis works. Good for you, honestly. I wish I had never had occasion to know these things. Many of us who do the work of law enforcement and mental health work wish we didn’t know these things. It must be nice to still be in the bubble of ignorance that tells you there is good and evil and black and white and nobody ever behaves in ways they don’t specifically intend. If only the real world was such a simple place. But it is not, and your ignorance renders your comments useless in this discussion.

+! Thank you for your posts. Those of us who work with and/or have family members who have struggled with significant mental health issues appreciate your efforts to explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reality everyone who commits murder is mentally ill because, if they were not mentally ill, they wouldn’t do it. To me (and I think the criminal justice system) she doesn’t deserve any more sympathy than any other murderer. Just because she is a white female who looks like us and has pretty pictures on social media does not change the realities of what she did and how she did it.

Another truly ignorant comment. Again, former prosecutor here. You are equating moral perversion with mental illness - they are not the same at all. Firstly the legal definition of mental illness mitigating responsibility for crime is very specific and a very high bar. That said there are many crimes committed by people who are mentally ill but not incompetent to stand trial or be held accountable for their criminal acts. Finally, the VAST majority of murders and other horrific crimes are NOT the result of mental illness. Most criminals are morally depraved but not mentally ill. The man who murders his wife rather than incur the cost of divorce is NOT mentally ill. The man who murders his girlfriend or wife in the throes of rageful violence born of toxic masculinity is NOT mentally ill. The teenager who murders a rival gang member as a right of passage is NOT mentally ill.

Please, stop minimizing and denigrating people who suffer with mental illness - the VAST majority of whom will never act out violently - by equating them with the morally depraved among us who take what they want and hurt who they want without regard to the bodily integrity of other human beings. The mentally ill are far more likely to be victims of such people than they are to be perpetrators of it.

But why are they morally depraved? Good and bad are just manifestations of chemical activity in your brain.