The sounds of a primal, guttural scream filled Plymouth County Superior Court in Massachusetts as a 911 call from January 24, 2023, was played for the first time in the trial of Lindsay Clancy. The recording captured the immediate aftermath of the incident where Clancy is accused of strangling her three young children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, inside their Duxbury home.
The nearly six-minute call began with Patrick Clancy's frantic voice after he found his wife injured in the backyard, having apparently attempted suicide by cutting her wrists and neck and jumping from a window. As first responders attended to Lindsay Clancy, Patrick entered the house and discovered the children deceased in the basement. The call then documents his discovery with cries of "She killed the kids!"
The audio recording visibly affected those in the courtroom. Lindsay Clancy, seated in a wheelchair, trembled and sobbed silently, turning her head away from the jury as the call played. Her parents also wept, and at least two female jurors were seen crying. Following the conclusion of the recording, a recess was called, during which emergency responders assisted a juror who appeared to be suffering a panic attack.
Prosecutors displayed the children's pajamas and three colored exercise bands, which they allege were used to strangle the youngsters. Patrick Clancy testified earlier in the trial that he found his wife on the lawn and, after ensuring she was attended to, rushed inside to find their children. He described seeing Cora and Dawson with bands around their necks and subsequently finding Dawson in his basement office, stating, "I knew he was gone."
Patrick Clancy, who has since remarried and moved to New York City, testified that his ex-wife's mental health had deteriorated in the months leading up to the killings, and that she had sought psychiatric help and was prescribed multiple medications. He characterized her as a "very dedicated mother" who loved their children "very much."
Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with her defense team arguing she was suffering from severe postpartum mental illness. Prosecutors contend that the murders were planned and that she was of sound mind. If convicted, Clancy faces a sentence of life without parole. An acquittal based on insanity would result in her commitment to a state psychiatric hospital, with potential release contingent on her no longer posing a threat.