Ex-husband of woman accused of murdering their three children details her mental health ‘spiral’
Topics: Crime, Real Life, US News, Mental Health
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Boston 25 News
Topics: Crime, Real Life, US News, Mental Health
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide, which some readers may find distressing.
Giving his first witness statement in court this week, Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband has claimed her mental health grew 'worse and worse' before she allegedly strangled their three children.
The Massachusetts mother, 35, stands accused by prosecutors of 'intentionally' killing daughter Cora, five, and sons Callan, eight months, and three-year-old son Dawson in a 'premeditated' January 2023 attack.
Prosecutors argue Lindsay sent Patrick Clancy - whom she met in 2013 - away from their Duxbury property to run errands the day of the killings, after allegedly looking into how long it might take him to return.
Advert
Both her lawyers and her ex-husband back up Lindsay's claim, however, that she'd been battling postpartum psychosis since welcoming her youngest son, and had been in the midst of an episode when the alleged crime was committed.
She attempted to take her own life the same day, and has since been left paralysed after suffering traumatic spinal injuries.
The team have raised an insanity defence, citing that Lindsay had been prescribed medical treatment for psychiatric issues that developed postpartum and that she spent several days at a psychiatric institution in the weeks before allegedly strangling her children.
Patrick, who has since remarried, appeared in court this week, where he served as Lindsay's first witness.
He told Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan and a 12-member jury yesterday (27 July) that his ex-wife had been 'very depressed' before the alleged attack, and that in the immediate month prior, 'her big spiral started'.
"She started to lose a lot of weight, and she became very depressed, and she was having a really hard time," he said, per the BBC. "She was having a really hard time. She started to say that she was suicidal."
In a civil lawsuit filed by the former couple earlier this year, they accused Lindsay's medical providers of both failing to issue a proper diagnosis and not monitoring her 'severe postpartum psychiatric condition' after prescribing her treatment.
In court, Patrick recalled that his ex had switched psychiatrists, claiming it 'wasn't working' with a previous doctor, who'd allegedly been unable to help her depression and anxiety.
"It was just really stressful," he added, claiming he asked Lindsay 'if she needed to be kept away' from the children.
Insisting she 'did not show any intention of harming the kids', however, Patrick recalled: "It was very confusing. The next minute, she was making them lunch or playing with them."
If convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, Lindsay will face life in prison without parole.
Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham argued in court before Patrick's testimony that Lindsay acted 'intentionally, rationally, and swiftly to accomplish a very specific goal - to kill'.
Buckingham continued: "She is criminally responsible for the murders, because the evidence will prove to you that she knew exactly what she was doing."
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 at 116 123, or contact Harmless by visiting their website at https://harmless.org.uk.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.