Andrea Faust, a North Carolina mother accused of killing her 3-year-old son and attempting to kill her 2-year-old, wants to pursue an insanity defense, creating the potential for another high-profile mental health case as the Lindsay Clancy case unfolds in Massachusetts. Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has been charged with the murder of her three children. Clancy is currently on trial for their deaths and the case has captured national attention as her defense rests on not guilty by reason of insanity.
While the facts of the two cases differ significantly, both have centered on questions about severe mental illness, competency, criminal responsibility, and whether psychiatric disorders can absolve defendants of legal culpability. Clancy's case has called attention to the lack of adequate maternal health care and the struggles women encounter postpartum. It's possible Faust's case will continue to shed a spotlight on different mental health issues as she heads to trial in October.
"Andrea and Lindsay’s cases are eerily similar, though not entirely the same," Nicole Gallinsky, Andrea's lawyer, told Newsweek. "Both women were known to be loving, doting, responsible mothers who were worried about and caring for their children up until the very-second they decided to kill them." Newsweek reached out to the prosecutor's office for comment. Faust, 41, is a Durham, North Carolina, mother charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after authorities said they found her two children unresponsive inside the family's home on February 12, according to court records reviewed by Newsweek.
According to Durham police, officers responded to a home on Chartwell Court after reports of a medical emergency. Both children, Percy and Kenny, were transported to a hospital. Percy later died, while Kenny survived and was expected to recover, according to statements made in court by Faust's husband, Eric Faust.
The case quickly drew widespread attention after Eric described the incident in court as a severe mental health crisis rather than an act that reflected his wife's normal behavior. Eric praised Andrea as a mother and begged her in court not to harm herself for the sake of her family. Court records show Andrea allegedly attempted suicide multiple times while in custody, including one incident that resulted in serious injuries requiring surgery.
Authorities later said she was found hoarding Tylenol that officials believed she intended to use to harm herself. In March, a judge ruled Faust was incapable of proceeding to trial and ordered her transferred to Central Regional Hospital in Butner, North Carolina, for inpatient psychiatric treatment and evaluation. The court found she posed a danger to herself and required intensive mental health care before criminal proceedings could continue.
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