After 14 days of testimony, prosecutors have rested their case against Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury mother charged with three counts of first-degree murder for killing her children in 2023.
Clancy has admitted to killing her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. Her attorney argues she should not be held criminally responsible, under what’s known as the “insanity defense,” because she was not in her right mind at the time of the killings. He says her postpartum mental health issues were exacerbated by medications she was prescribed.
Prosecutors argue that Clancy deliberately killed the children because she wanted to “take them with her” when she unsuccessfully tried to kill herself that night. Clancy jumped from a second story window and is now paralyzed from the waist down.
The prosecution called dozens of witnesses, including the children’s father, Patrick Clancy; a former nanny; friends and coworkers; first responders; state medical examiners; and several healthcare workers and psychiatric clinicians.
On Monday, the last witness to testify for the prosecution was a digital forensic expert who collected health data, internet searches, and texts and calls from Clancy’s phone and Apple watch in the weeks leading up to the killings.
Heart rate details taken from the Apple Watch worn by Lindsay Clancy displayed by the prosecution. (Greg Der/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
The expert testified that the data showed her walking and taking flights of stairs the evening of the killings. He said the information also showed internet searches for various psychiatric medications and how to treat depression and suicidal ideation.
Patrick Clancy, who was the first witness for the prosecution, provided arguably some of the most important testimony. He took the stand at the end of July.
He outlined the months after his son Callan’s birth when Lindsay Clancy sought professional help for depression, anxiety, insomnia, suicidal thoughts and worries about harming the kids. In December 2022, about a month before the killings, Patrick Clancy said Lindsay Clancy told him about thoughts of harming the children, but he testified that “it was more like something bad would happen to them.” He said his in-laws came to help, and he was never advised not to leave Lindsay Clancy alone with the children.
“It was all very confusing,” he testified. “A minute later she was making them lunch or playing with them or getting them ready for bed or whatever it was.”
Prosecutors played the recording of the 911 call Patrick Clancy made when he found his now ex-wife outside their home. He was still on the line when he discovered his children’s bodies in the basement and screamed, “She killed the kids.” The call was so disturbing that the judge did not allow it to be released to the public.
Lindsay Clancy’s medical records show several months of mental healthcare including therapy, psychiatric visits, an attempt to attend an outpatient hospital psychiatric program and an inpatient stay at McLean Hospital just weeks before she killed the children. The records show that she was prescribed several medications including antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers.
Justice William Sullivan speaks to the jury on Monday. (Greg Der/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Both Patrick and Lindsay Clancy have filed separate medical malpractice suits against her healthcare providers suggesting that she was mistreated for postpartum psychosis, and the disorder was made worse by prescribed medications. The defense has pointed out that Lindsay Clancy didn’t always take her medications as prescribed and was not diagnosed with postpartum psychosis.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington began calling witnesses on Monday afternoon. Those expected to testify include Lindsay Clancy’s mother and sister as well as mental health and psychiatric forensic experts.
If the jury agrees to acquit Clancy of first-degree murder charges, she would be committed to a state hospital and would receive periodic reviews to determine whether she could safely be released.
Resources: You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 and the Samaritans Statewide Hotline (call or text) at 1-877-870-HOPE (4673). Call2Talk can be accessed by calling Massachusetts 211 or 508-532-2255 (or text c2t to 741741). The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can be reached at 1-833-TLC-MAMA.
