Lindsay Clancy ‘scared’ as jury begin deliberations after emotional closing arguments
Lindsay Clancy’s defence lawyer has said she’s feeling ‘scared’ as the jury begin deliberation in her murder trial.
After weeks of evidence from both sides, the court heard emotional closing arguments on Thursday (27 August).
Clancy is on trial over the deaths of her three children - Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan - in January 2023.
Her defence team have not disputed that Clancy killed the children but have argued that she cannot be held criminally responsible as she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and severe mental illness at the time.
Advert
The prosecution's case is that Clancy planned out the killings.
Clancy and at least one juror broke down in tears today while harrowing closing arguments were made, including descriptions of the children's final moments.
In his closing arguments, Clancy’s defence lawyer Kevin Reddington hit out at the health care system and said ‘damn medicine’ and ‘the lousy medical care that she got’ was to blame for the tragedy.
“This young lady did nothing wrong in her life. She was a nurse, a daughter, a wife, and a darn good mother.”
In the prosecution's closing arguments, Second Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague responded to the claims Reddington made.
“There’s no dispute that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from mental illness and that she tried to kill herself…that’s not the issue in this trial,” Sprague said. “The issue is whether at the time she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan, she knew the difference between right and wrong and whether she could conform her behavior to the requirements of the law.”
She added, “This case is not about our mental health system or how it treats women or what’s in the DSM-5 and what’s not—that’s a distraction to get you angry and passionate about an important issue, but an issue that’s not on trial here.”
Once the closing arguments were wrapped up, the jury of nine women and three men began their deliberations.
At the end of the first day, they had not reached a conclusion and will carry on Friday morning at 9am.
Speaking after the court let out, Reddington gave an insight into how his client is feeling.
“She’s doing alright. She’s nervous, she’s scared,” the lawyer said.
Commenting on how he thinks the case will end, he added: “I think that they have to weigh all of this evidence, and I believe that the government ultimately has not proven their case.”
There are several verdicts the jury can reach, including first-degree murder, manslaughter, and not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.
If found guilty of first-degree murder, Clancy will face a lifetime sentence without the possibility of parole.
If they decide on a verdict of not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility she would likely be sent to a state mental health facility for an undetermined length of time.
There’s also the possibility that the jurors can’t reach a verdict, in which case a mistrial or hung jury could be declared.
In that case, the entire process would start again.
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 labour 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 generalised 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 Centre for Women’s Behavioural 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 paediatrician 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.
Claire Reid