Lindsay Clancy forces murder trial of her three kids to pause after crying ‘I can’t do this’
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and child loss which some readers may find distressing.
Court proceedings came to a standstill in a triple murder trial yesterday (August 12) after Lindsay Clancy broke down sobbing and cried: "I can't do this."
The 35-year-old is accused of killing her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, before attempting to take her own life in January 2023.
The court was hearing graphic testimony from two medical examiners, Dr Renee Stonebridge and Dr Barbara Olson, who carried out the autopsies on the children.
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It is alleged that Clancy strangled the children using exercise bands, while her then-husband, Patrick, had gone out to collect takeout food as well as medicine for Cora.
While Dr Olson was answering questions about the nature of the injuries to Cora's neck, Clancy was seen with her head down on the defence table, crying.
Her tears soon turned into sobs and wails as the answers about the autopsy became more detailed, with Clancy crying 'I can't do this' as she continued to sob loudly.
Judge William Sullivan called for a short recess, as Clancy was comforted by her defence attorney, Kevin Reddington as well as other members of staff from the court, who were seen offering her tissues.
At several points throughout the trial so far, Clancy has been seen to be overwhelmed with emotion.
Clancy's defence team is arguing that she lacks criminal responsibility for the deaths of the children because she was allegedly suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis at the time of the killings.
This is also known as an insanity defence, and she has pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
After the recess, Judge Sullivan issued a stern reminder to jurors that they must not let themselves be swayed by their feelings, and said they must separate emotions from the facts being given about the case.
"The law says you must separate any emotional reaction on your part from the informational value and weight that the evidence produces," he said.
"Your verdict in this case is going to have to be based solely on the evidence and it cannot be based on sympathy, or anger, or passion or prejudice."
Dr Olson then continued her testimony, as an inconsolable Clancy continued to cry with her head on the desk.
Clancy continued to sob as Olson told jurors that she had come to the verdict that Cora died of asphyxiation, and added it would have horrifyingly been a painful death for her.
“There is a component of pain present until loss of consciousness occurs,” Olson said, adding it probably would have lasted between 10 and 30 seconds.
Clancy seemed to be hyperventilating, and was visibly distressed.
At the start of the trial, Patrick Clancy had filed a motion with the court to prevent the autopsy photos of the children being shown to the media and to the public, as well as the 911 call he made the night of the incident.
The autopsy photos are being displayed within the court on screens which can only be viewed by the members of the jury, in accordance with that motion.
The court case 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 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 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.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Crime, True Crime, News, US News
Jen Thomas