Lindsay Clancy prosecutor's religious question for Patrick Clancy's mother sparks tense moment
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The jury was instructed to disregard a question put to the former mother-in-law of Lindsay Clancy in court.
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to murdering her three children in January 2023, although Clancy does not dispute that she killed her three children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months.
Her defence team is arguing that at the time of the tragedy she had been suffering with severe bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis, and as a result should not be held criminally responsible for their deaths.
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Meanwhile, prosecutors are trying to establish that Clancy, from Massachusetts is liable and that the killings were premeditated.
The court heard from Susan Clancy, the mother Clancy's ex-husband Patrick Clancy, on August 18.
Susan described Clancy as a 'wonderful mother', and also testified that in late 2022 and early 2023, in the lead up to the tragedy, she had been struggling with her mental health, and that she had noticed changes in Clancy's behaviour after the birth of her youngest child.
One part of the questioning led to a tense moment in court when Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham was questioning Susan.
Buckingham asked if she was a Catholic, to which Susan replied that yes, she is, after which Buckingham asked her if she believed murder is a 'mortal sin'.
Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington objected to the question, and after a quick sidebar in court the judge ordered the jury to disregard the question.
Patrick Clancy divorced from his ex wife after the tragedy, but has publicly said that he forgives her, previously telling The New Yorker: “I wasn’t married to a monster - I was married to someone who got sick.”
Susan had also testified in her appearance on the witness stand that Clancy had been 'begging for help', and said that in the fall of 2022 Clancy had complained of low appetite, anxiety, and insomnia.
Reddington asked her: "Did you find that Lindsay was interested at all times in trying to get better and see doctors?"
Susan replied: "Very much so. She was begging for help."
Clancy could face a sentence of life in prison without parole if she is convicted of murder, and if acquitted will be sent to a psychiatric hospital to receive treatment.
The tragedy happened on January 24 2023, with Patrick leaving the family home to pick up medication for one their children and to fetch a takeout meal for dinner.
Patrick had left the house at around 5:15pm, exchanging texts with Clancy while he was out collecting the medications and food.
When he returned home at 6:09pm, Patrick claimed that he had noticed the 'silence' in the house.
He found Clancy having attempted suicide, and as a result she has been paralyzed from the waist down and is confined to a wheelchair.
Patrick then also discovered Cora, Dawson, and Callan in the house, before calling emergency services.
Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at 7:28pm the same day, and Callan would be pronounced dead in the morning of January 27.
The trial continues.
Timeline of 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. 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.”
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.
Topics: US News, Crime, Court, Lindsay Clancy
Kit Roberts