Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband recalls hours leading up to their children's deaths

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

The ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three young children, took the stand Monday as the prosecution's first witness in her triple-murder trial.

According to CNN, Patrick Clancy, the children's father, testified that his former wife struggled significantly after the birth of their third child, and that in the months before the January 2023 killings, she told him she was having thoughts of suicide and of harming their children.

He replayed the events of the day before the killings, telling the court that Lindsay had built a snowman and played with their three children.

Patrick Clancy was clearly emotional when he took the stand, breathing deeply as he described each of his three young children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan.

Patrick Clancy recalled the days leading up to the death of his children (Fox)

"She was playing with the kids, and she seemed in a good mood," he said, adding: "She was having one of her best days."

Earlier that morning, Lindsay brought the couple’s daughter to a doctor’s appointment, he said. Patrick texted his wife a photo of their middle child, Dawson, while she was away.

“He dressed himself completely for the first time,” her former husband texted Lindsay.

After Lindsay returned home, she played and did art projects with the kids while Patrick worked in the basement, he said.

Before he left the house to pick up dinner, he said he kissed one of his children on the head and told his family he would 'be right back'.

When he returned, he said he found all three of his children dead with exercise bands wrapped around their necks.

Her legal team are not denying she killed her children, but argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time.

Patrick Clancy has taken to the stand during his ex-wife's murder trial (Law&Crime Network)

His wife didn’t tell him she was having any thoughts about suicide or harming the children that day, Patrick testified.

Patrick testified that between September 2022 and January 2023, Lindsay was prescribed several medications by at least three different providers.

Prosecutors noted Lindsay only seemed to have taken some of the pills she was prescribed, but Patrick said he didn't keep track of if she was taking her medication.

He said Lindsay's mental health declined after she started taking a new medication in December 2022.

He says she told him she was having 'intrusive thoughts' about hurting herself and her children, but Patrick wasn't concerned at this point that she would act on them.

The New York Times reports he said on the stand: "I asked her if she needed to be kept away from [the children], and she said no.

“It was very confusing. The next minute, she was making them lunch or playing with them."

Due to her suicidal thoughts, Lindsay was in and out of psychiatric hospital between December 2022 and January 2023, after which period she said she was no longer having suicidal thoughts.

Lindsay Clancy in court (CNN)

What did the prosecution and defense say in the opening statements?

Both the prosecution and defense delivered opening statements Monday morning, with each side warning jurors that some of the testimony in the case could be difficult to hear.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham told jurors that Lindsay Clancy 'deliberately and meticulously' killed her children, adding that 'she knew exactly what she was doing'.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington told the court that Lindsay Clancy was 'suffering from psychosis' when she killed her children. He emphasised that she attempted suicide afterwards and has been left partially paralyzed as a result.

"This is a young woman who, with her husband, tried very hard to get the help she needed," Reddington said.

Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and faces life in prison if convicted

UNILAD has approached attorney Kevin Reddington for additional comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.