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Judge William F. Sullivan has a delicate path to walk.
He’s presiding over the high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy for the killings of her three children. And he does so with the unenviable task of navigating between the public’s long-held right to view court proceedings and the necessity to avoid a circus that could upend them.
Clancy, of Duxbury, does not deny she killed her children, but is pleading not guilty under what’s commonly known as the insanity defense. Her lawyer maintains she should not be held criminally responsible because she was so deep in the throes of postpartum depression and psychosis.
The case has drawn intense attention for the unfathomable crime alleged, and also what it may spotlight about the way the health system treats women and, in particular, mothers.
Harrowing listening
The trial is expected to run as long as two months, and already Sullivan’s balancing act faces two tests. The first is expected to come this morning, when the court will hear the 911 call that Clancy’s husband, Patrick Clancy, made when he arrived home from getting take-out. He found his three children strangled in their basement and his then-wife severely injured following a suicide attempt outside the home.
From prosecutors’ statements and court records, we know the broad strokes: Patrick Clancy stayed on the phone as he first saw Lindsay Clancy, and then still as he discovered his children dead or dying. It will be harrowing listening, if admissible evidence that will give the jury more information about what happened that night in January 2023.
So Sullivan is allowing it to be played in court — but not livestreamed and widely broadcast, as much of the rest of the trial is. Only those present can hear it. The media can report on it, but not record it.
A controlled crime scene
The second test of balance is the jury’s viewing of the Clancys’ former home, expected later in the week. On Tuesday, Sullivan deemed it to be limited to lawyers on both sides, court staff, and the 18-person jury, six of whom will be designated as alternates when deliberations start.
Sullivan also ordered that Duxbury and State Police will be responsible for securing the area before jurors arrive, and for keeping unauthorized “third parties” off the premises during the view. He also decided jurors will be allowed “to visually inspect the outside of the property as well as . . . the basement, all rooms on the first floor, and all rooms on the second floor of the premises.”
They won’t be permitted to “open closet doors, touch any items within the premises, or disturb items,” Sullivan wrote.
This can work. Two years ago, I covered the first trial of Karen Read, the Mansfield woman who was tried twice and ultimately acquitted of the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe. That trial was, if anything, even more closely watched and controversial than this one, driven by claims of police corruption and a coverup.
A break in the circus
In spring 2023, those of us in the media cohort covering the Read trial followed the jury as they were bused to the scene of O’Keefe’s death outside of a Canton home. Police kept us — and some of the non-media spectators who regularly attended the trial — down the street, probably a few hundred feet away as the jurors, attorneys, and even the judge milled about outside the home where O’Keefe’s body was found. A crowd watched from afar, but didn’t interfere.
The trial was a circus, but the crime scene view went fine.
Shelley Murphy and Travis Andersen of Globe staff contributed to this report.
🧩 5 Across: Malicious | 🌧️ 72° A drenching
A container of raspberries.Brandon Bell/Getty
Nothing to see here: Even as the number of US cyclospora cases hit record levels, top health regulators are insisting that consumers can still trust what they were eating. We’ll soon find out. Your editor, attracted by unusually low prices, impulsively bought raspberries yesterday.
Murder by vehicle? A 21-year-old driver intentionally sped up and hit a person on a scooter in Dorchester, dragging the body 300 feet before running him over, police say. Also, a Concord couple was killed in a head-on crash.
Red Sox: Highly anticipated slugger Curtis Mead got two at bats for Boston before being nailed by a pitch that fractured his wrist. Now he’s headed to the injured list — and to see a hand specialist in Boston today.
Patriots: Christian Gonzalez is taking the high road amid tricky contract negotiations. The same can’t be said for Robert Kraft, Ben Volin writes.
Stalled report: A long-overdue report is stalling action on the Mass. guardianship crisis, advocates say.
Justice? The online retailing giant EBay and former executives will pay $56 million to settle a lawsuit for the bizarre harassment of a Natick couple.
‘Like an earthquake’: Mass General Brigham has fumbled its hospital merger, a former longtime executive says.
Fewer students: New immigrant student enrollment has plunged by a fifth in Mass. high schools, a new report says.
Bicyclist killed: A 39-year-old bicyclist was fatally struck by a car on Route 138 in Stoughton yesterday morning, officials said. The cyclist was identified as Mark Salvador of Stoughton.
Panera’s new HQ: The 2,250-store chain is moving to Greater Boston from St. Louis next summer.
By David Beard
💲 Dine Out Boston: More than 200 restaurants are taking part in our city’s longer version of Restaurant Week, starting Saturday. Here are eight picks where you can get the most for your buck.
🏡 Homes of the Week: What could $1 million-$2 million get you on the Cape?
🍴 The Cape’s best restaurant now? Devra First gives five stars to the food and mood of a place in a former gas station in Dennis Port.
☀️ 🌑 Look up (carefully): Get set for twin eclipses in August — a solar eclipse and a later lunar eclipse. Here’s where you can see them.
🐋 Saving belugas: A shuttering aquarium in Canada has prompted an airlift rescue of 30 belugas to other facilities in North America.
🎸 Draw the Line: How come Sir Paul and Billy Joel get into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame, and Aerosmith doesn’t?
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
This newsletter was edited by David Beard and produced by Ryan Orlecki. Today’s song is “Draw the Line‚” by some local band that can’t get into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame.
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Sean Cotter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cotterreporter.
