Lindsay Clancy's sister testified Monday that she had a "gut feeling" something was wrong with Clancy in December 2022, the month before Clancy killed her three young children. Allison Ozga, Clancy's sister, told a jury that Clancy said, “I'm in a really tough spot.” Ozga, a licensed social worker, added that while she felt something was off, she never reported her concerns about Clancy.
Clancy, 36, is on trial for the murders of her children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan. The killings occurred in January 2023 at the family's home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege Clancy strangled the children with exercise bands and then attempted to take her own life, an act that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair. The prosecution concluded its case Monday, presenting evidence over three weeks that they argue shows the killings were intentional and premeditated.
Clancy has 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.
During testimony, Ozga recounted that in December 2022, Clancy reported worsening mood, depression, increased suicidal thoughts, and continued insomnia. Ozga also stated that Clancy had reported having suicidal ideation daily for the month prior. At Cora's birthday party in January 2023, Ozga observed that Clancy appeared to be “going through the motions” and seemed to be “still struggling.”
On cross-examination, Ozga, who is a mandated reporter due to her profession as a social worker, was asked if she ever felt concerned enough to report Clancy to authorities. She stated that she did not.
Clancy's mother, Paula Musgrove, testified that her daughter had previously confided in her and her husband, Patrick Clancy, about having thoughts of harming the children. Musgrove noted a change in Clancy around October 2022, stating that her daughter did not improve through November and December of that year. In a text message from October 2022, Clancy expressed to her mother, “I'm really sick. Something is wrong. I had horrible insomnia all night, and I just don't know how I'm going to get through the day.” Clancy also mentioned that a prescribed anxiety medication seemed to be making her condition worse and that she did not want to be alone.
Another witness, Margaret Hamp, a colleague of Clancy's, testified that Clancy was unaware of the Andrea Yates case. Yates, who drowned her five children in 2001, was found not guilty by reason of insanity by reason of postpartum psychosis. Hamp recalled a conversation where Clancy cried and asked, “How could a mother hurt her children?” after Hamp explained the Yates case to her.