Journal entries detailing "horrible thoughts" and a lack of motivation were presented in court as the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy continued. Clancy, 35, is accused of killing her three children—Cora, five; Dawson, three; and eight-month-old Callan—by strangling them with exercise bands in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023.
The defense does not dispute that Clancy committed the acts but argues she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and was overmedicated, rendering her not guilty by reason of insanity. To support this claim, the defense introduced logs the mother kept about her mental health while taking prescription medication, many of which noted "horrible thoughts."
Prosecutors, however, contend that Clancy deliberately and premeditatedly killed her children. They presented evidence including the clothing the children were wearing when they died and played the 911 call made by Clancy's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, after discovering the scene.
Patrick Clancy testified that he returned home on January 24, 2023, after picking up takeout food for his wife and found the bedroom door locked. Upon entering, he discovered blood throughout the room. He also recounted that he found his wife outside on the lawn, paralyzed, and his children strangled in the basement.
Clancy broke down in tears as the 911 call was played in court, an emotional reaction shared by some members of the jury. The case has been widely described as "America's saddest murder trial."