Notes extracted from the phone of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of murdering her three young children, reveal she harbored feelings of resentment towards her two older children months before their deaths, the court heard Thursday.
Clancy, 36, a former nurse, is charged with killing her children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023. She subsequently attempted suicide and was left paralyzed.
The prosecution presented journal entries from Clancy's iPhone that detailed her internal thoughts about her children. In a note dated October 25, 2022, Clancy wrote, "I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby." She added, "I am sad and depressed because I am not able to parent my third child like my first." She also expressed feelings of guilt over no longer breastfeeding her youngest son, Callan, stating, "I feel not as connected with Cal now."
Clancy admitted to killing her children but has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis. She is also pursuing a lawsuit against her former healthcare providers for alleged medical malpractice and negligence.
Another entry from the phone indicated a conflict about her desire to have more children while struggling with her current family situation. "I want to feel love and connection with all my kids. I'm also probably having a bit of an internal conflict because my whole life I wanted to have a lot of kids," the note read. "I still don't want Cal to be our last, but I have a lot of figuring out to do before I have another."
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The journal entries also touched upon her mental health struggles and medication. "I am on the fence about starting a new medication for anxiety/depression. I just want to feel happy," one note stated. She also expressed being "terrified of something happening to my kids or doing something wrong to mess up their development."
During the trial, Massachusetts State Police trooper Timothy Chiappini read the note aloud, prompting Clancy to put her head in her hands at the defense table.
Evidence presented also included text messages between Clancy and her mother in the weeks leading up to the killings. In a message on January 12, 2023, her mother asked, "Still feeling a little better?" to which Clancy replied, "A little bit." On January 14, Clancy texted, "Hanging in there and waiting for the day I wake up feeling like me."
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Massachusetts State Police lead investigator Josh McKelligan also testified about the condition of the Clancy home on the day of the incident. Video footage from inside the primary bedroom was shown to the jury. Court was dismissed for the remainder of the week following McKelligan's testimony.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday.
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