Lindsay Clancy wants her trial for the strangulation murder of her three children split into two parts: one to decide whether she is guilty and a second to determine if she was legally insane.
Clancy, 35, is charged with murdering her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan, by strangling them with exercise bands in the basement of the family home on Summer Street in Duxbury the night of Jan. 24, 2023.
On Friday, her attorney Kevin Reddington argued in Plymouth Superior Court for her trial to be split into two parts, a legal maneuver known as bifurcation, to first determine whether she was guilty of murdering her children and then to determine whether she was legally responsible due to suffering postpartum psychosis.
The hearing was the first time that Clancy had been physically present in a courtroom for the entire case. Authorities say she leapt from a second-floor bedroom window of the home after killing her children, rendering her paraplegic. She had previously attended hearings through video teleconferencing from her bed at Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been committed since October 2023.
Reddington said that he commended the sheriff’s department, his staff, and Tewksbury medical staff who “melded together incredibly and have done just a marvelous job” of caring for and transporting Clancy to the court. He also said he wants his client to appear in person moving forward if possible.
Clancy, wearing all black and a silver cross on a necklace, was wheeled in by court officers for her hearing before Judge William Sullivan. She remained silent and primarily stared ahead throughout the proceedings, other than to exchange a “good afternoon” with the judge.
The hearing was not a long one and primarily consisted of setting dates for future hearings ahead of her murder trial scheduled for July. After going back and forth over conflicting schedules, the parties arrived at March 2 for oral arguments on outstanding issues — including for the bifurcated trial — and April 10 for a mental evaluation to be conducted by an expert chosen by prosecutors. Then, finally, June 18 for a further motions hearing.
Of interest regarding the testing is that prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said that she has no problem with videotaping the evaluation but would object to taping Clancy filling out forms due to the “proprietary rights” of the company providing the test.
“I would suggest that we file that under ‘W’ for ‘Who cares?’ We’re not here to protect proprietary rights of private businesses and enterprises,” Reddington said, but added that he isn’t really sure if videoing that process is important or not and would like to confer with his own experts for guidance before arguing over the issue.
Reddington confirmed early on in the case that he will be pursuing an insanity defense for his client.
Reddington has maintained that his client Clancy was emotionally unstable at the time of her children’s deaths.
Clancy had at the time been suffering from postpartum depression, Reddington has said in court. Court documents say that Clancy, who was a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was taking medications including antidepressants, anxiety-targeting benzodiazepine drugs, and the antipsychotic drug Seroquel at least as far back as the September before the deaths.
Clancy’s husband, Patrick Clancy, has previously said that he “wasn’t married to a monster” and last month filed a wrongful death suit against two of Lindsay Clancy’s healthcare providers, claiming that they over- and improperly medicated her in the months before the children were killed.
He named Dr. Jennifer Tufts and nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta, who both prescribed Lindsay several medications, along with their respective practices, Aster Mental Health Inc. and South Shore Health, as defendants.
“South Shore Health cares deeply about and prioritizes the safety of our patients and their families and always strives to provide excellent care,” the practice said in a statement to the Herald. “Given that this matter is now in litigation, we cannot comment on the specific allegations contained in the lawsuit.”
Greg Derr/POOL photo
Superior court Judge William Sullivan at Friday’s hearing for the Lindsay Clancy case. The Duxbury mother is accused of murdering her three children in January 2023. (Greg Derr/POOL photo)
Facebook Photo of Lindsay Clancy (Courtesy)
