Testimony in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of strangling her three children, revealed that she had told doctors she experienced severe insomnia and suicidal thoughts in the days leading up to the Jan. 24, 2023, slayings. Despite these struggles, Clancy reportedly stated that her children prevented her from harming herself.
Prosecutors presented evidence and called doctors to testify about Clancy's mental state in the months and days before the deaths of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan. Clancy's defense team is arguing for a not guilty by reason of insanity plea, citing severe postpartum psychosis exacerbated by numerous medications.
Medical History and Testimony
Dr. Jennifer Tufts, a psychiatrist who began treating Clancy in September 2022, testified that Clancy reported drinking alcohol five times a week and experiencing guilt about it. On intake forms, Clancy indicated anxiety, depression, and insomnia but denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts and hearing voices. Tufts prescribed Zoloft at the time.
Clancy was admitted to McLean Hospital on Jan. 1, 2023, for suicidal thoughts approximately eight months after her youngest child's birth. She was released on Jan. 5, about two and a half weeks before the killings. During her four-night stay at McLean, Dr. Alia Goodheart weaned Clancy off the antipsychotic drug Seroquel, prescribing Ativan and Trazodone in its place to address insomnia.
Goodheart testified that Clancy expressed suicidal thoughts but assured her, "of her children and her family and her mother" that she would never act on them. The doctor noted that while Clancy reported anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, and suicidal ideations, Goodheart did not observe signs of psychosis. Clancy insisted on leaving McLean to be home for her oldest daughter's birthday that weekend.
During cross-examination, Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, questioned Goodheart about whether patients sometimes minimize or lie about their symptoms, to which the doctor replied, "Yes." Goodheart stated she relied on body language and eye contact to gauge honesty and that Clancy did not appear dishonest.
Toxicology reports indicated that Clancy had two antidepressants, two anti-anxiety medications, and two antipsychotic drugs in her system after the killings. Reddington has also stated that Clancy claimed to hear a voice telling her to commit the acts.
Events Leading to the Killings
On Jan. 24, 2023, Clancy allegedly used exercise bands to strangle her three children at their Duxbury home. Immediately following the deaths, she reportedly cut her wrists and neck and jumped from a second-story window, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. She now appears in court in a wheelchair.
A friend, Sarah Carney, testified that two days before the incident, Clancy attended a barbecue with her family and appeared "just quiet but fairly normal." Prosecutors questioned Carney about whether she had seen the children playing with exercise bands, referencing social media posts by Clancy showing the children with exercise cords.