Lindsay Clancy 'shakes and takes deep breaths' at the sight of ex-husband as he testifies in murder trial

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

Lindsay Clancy was seen 'shaking' and 'taking deep breaths' during her murder trial over the deaths of her three young children as her ex-husband took to the stand today.

In January 2023, Patrick Clancy was out of the house for less than an hour when he returned to find his wife, Lindsay, lying in their backyard in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after trying to take her own life.

He then discovered the lifeless bodies of their three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months.

Lindsay, 35, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, with her defence arguing she was overmedicated for mental health issues and was suffering from extreme portpartum psychosis.

Patrick took to the stand as a witness at Plymouth Superior Court on Monday (July 27), and was the first witness called to the stand, where he was asked about his relationship with Lindsay.

In emotional scenes, Lindsay was described by CourtTV editor Cathy Russon as 'shaking' and 'taking deep breaths' as he took to the stand.

As per CNN, he testified to the jury that Lindsay had 'intrusive thoughts' about hurting the children two weeks before their death.

“She described thoughts of hurting the kids or them having some sort of ailment,” he said.

In conversations which he claimed took place between November - December 2022, he claims his ex told him she didn't think she needed to be kept away, and did not have a specific plan to harm them.

“It was very confusing because a minute later, she was making them lunch or playing with them or getting ready for bed or whatever it was,” he claimed, saying he 'wasn't concerned' for the kids' safety, and Lindsay wasn't showing 'any intention' of hurting them.

Patrick claimed that Lindsay's 'big spiral' started when she started a new medication in December 2022.

"She started to lose a lot of weight, and she became very depressed. She was having a really hard time," he said.

He also testified that Lindsay had spent days in a psychiatric hospital, and went to Massachusetts General Hospital’s emergency department on December 31, 2022 due to the fact she was 'still talking about suicide'.

He said she was transferred to affiliated hospital McClean on January 1, 2023.

Prior to her ex-husbands testimony, during the opening statement, Lindsay was seen breaking down in tears as the prosecutor described her three children during the opening statements.

"Cora, she had just turned five, she was sweet, silly, smart, she loved sparkly dresses, wearing bows in her hair, she loved princesses and baby dolls," the prosecutor said.

"She even tried to convince her preschool teachers at the beginning that her name was Sophia because she loved the Disney character so very much."

Dawson was described as 'funny and full of energy, as Callan was described as a 'sweet little baby'.

It was then that Lindsay was seen shaking in her wheelchair and wiping her tears away, as prosecutor Shanan Buckingham continued: "We are here today because they are not."

She is in a wheelchair as a result of her failed suicide attempt after the alleged murders, in which she fell from a window after cutting her throat and wrists. She was left paralyzed from the waist down after the fall.

She has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. However, if she is found guilty, she could face up to life in prison.

Timeline of the Lindsay Clancy case

May 2022

Lindsay gives birth to her third child, Callan.

She’s open about her postpartum struggles with her other two kids on social media. Six weeks after Callan’s birth, she posts that she’s feeling ‘dialed in’ while focusing on exercise, nutrition, and mindset, and ‘it has made all the difference’.

September 2022

As the end of her maternity leave nears, Lindsay, who works as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, starts to experience anxiety about returning to work.

She visits two different psychiatrists and receives a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.

Lindsay is prescribed several different psychiatric medications.

October 2022

According to court docs, she writes in a note on her phone: “I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby. And I know that’s not fair to them. I know that. I was feeling so depressed last evening when Cora and Dawson came home from school, I know it runs off on them, so we had a pretty rough evening, I want to feel love and connection with all my kids.”

December 2022

Lindsay undergoes an evaluation at the Women and Infants Hospital Center for Women’s Behavioral Health. She is not diagnosed with postpartum depression, prosecutors say.

Lindsay’s husband Patrick tells police she is having suicidal thoughts and thoughts of harming their children, according to his testimony in court.

1-5 January, 2023

Lindsay admits herself to McLean Hospital for psychiatric treatment. She is discharged after five days as clinicians do not believe she poses an imminent danger to herself or others, prosecutors say.

22 January, 2023

Lindsay, Patrick, Cora and Dawson have dinner at family friend Kyle Carney’s home. Kyle later tells police that Lindsay ‘seemed fairly normal’.

23 January, 2023

According to prosecutors, Lindsay pens a note on her phone which says she has ‘a touch of postpartum anxiety’ about going back to work.

24 January, 2023

Prosecutors allege the following took place this day:

Morning: Lindsay takes Cora to a scheduled pediatrician appointment. After returning home, they play in the snow with Dawson. She sends photos of the kids to Patrick and her mom.

4:02pm: Lindsay searches for ‘kids Miralax’ (a laxative) on her phone, and 11 minutes later looks up ‘take out 3v’, referring to restaurant ThreeV in Plymouth. She uses Apple Maps to calculate how long it would take to drive from the family’s home to ThreeV.

4:47pm: Lindsay rings a CVS in Kingston to ask if they have any Miralax in stock. A manager tells her they don’t, but they do have similar medications.

The manager later tells authorities that she did not slur her words or sound impaired during the call.

4:35pm: Lindsay texts Patrick, who is working from home: “Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V … I didn’t cook anything … It’s been a long day.”

Patrick says yes, and Lindsay asks him to ‘check the menu when you can’.

5:10pm: Lindsay calls ThreeV to place the order.

5:15pm: Lindsay allegedly texts Patrick: “Pedialax liquid stool softener.” He then leaves to pick up the medication.

5:33pm: When Patrick arrives at CVS, he rings Lindsay, but she doesn’t pick up. She rings back one minute later and confirms the medication.

5:54pm: Patrick gets to ThreeV, pays for the food and leaves.

6:09pm: Patrick returns home. “The first thing he noticed was the silence,” prosecutors say. “He did not see or hear the defendant or the children.”

Patrick calls for his wife but gets no response. He discovers their second-floor bedroom is locked. Patrick eventually manages to get in the room but sees blood on the floor and an open window. He runs outside and finds Lindsay lying on the ground, according to prosecutors.

6:11pm: Prosecutors say that Patrick rings 911 and Lindsay is saying: “I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.”

He is then said to ask Lindsay: “Where are the kids?” She responds: “In the basement.”

While on the call, Patrick goes down to the basement and is heard ‘screaming in agony’,

Cora and Callan are discovered on the floor of the den. Dawson is found in his dad’s home office.

When officers arrive at the scene, Patrick alleges: “She killed the kids.”

Lindsay is taken to hospital, where she is treated for injuries that leave her paralysed below the waist. The three children are also rushed to hospital.

7:28pm: Cora and Dawson are pronounced dead. Callan is medically flown to another children’s hospital.

25 January, 2023

Police issue Lindsay an arrest warrant, charging her with two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

27 January, 2023

Callan is pronounced dead at 11.18am.

According to Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague, Lindsay later wakes up and uses a whiteboard to ask: “Do I need an attorney?”

6 February, 2023

While in the presence of a psychologist hired by her lawyer, Lindsay calls Patrick and tells him she had a ‘moment of psychosis’ and heard ‘a man’s voice telling her to kill the kids and kill herself’ after he left on January 24.

7 February, 2023

On the day of her arraignment, Lindsay’s attorney says that she’s still suicidal. She pleads not guilty to three counts of murder.

October 2024

Patrick asks the public to forgive Lindsay, telling The New Yorker: “I wasn’t married to a monster - I was married to someone who got sick.”

January 2026

Lindsay and Patrick file a civil lawsuit, accusing medical providers of not properly diagnosing, treating and monitoring her for a ‘severe postpartum psychiatric condition’.

9 July, 2026

The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office says the three counts of strangulation would be subsumed into the murder charges.

27 July, 2026

Lindsay’s murder trial begins.

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 the 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.