Patrick Clancy Discusses Forgiveness, Grief After Children's Killings
In an interview, Patrick Clancy spoke about his ex-wife Lindsay's mental health struggles and his path to forgiveness after she killed their three children.
Patrick Clancy, the ex-husband of a mother accused of murdering their three children, stated in a CBS interview that he would have been "eaten up inside forever" had he not forgiven his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy. He also said he did the best he could to manage her mental illness in the months leading up to the tragedy.
Lindsay Clancy has not disputed that she killed their children—Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, eight months—in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023. However, her lawyers argued she should not be held legally responsible due to severe mental illness. A judge declared a mistrial earlier this month after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on murder charges. Clancy, 36, was left paralyzed after jumping from a second-floor window following the killings and attended the trial in a wheelchair.
Patrick Clancy testified during the trial about his ex-wife's declining mental health after giving birth, stating her team claimed she suffered from postpartum psychosis. "I didn't know how to manage a postpartum illness. I think mental illness has this ability to be tragically deceptive," he told CBS.
He explained that his belief that her mental illness caused the killings led him to forgive her. "I saw headlines that said, you know, 'Killer Mom', and 'Baby Murderer', 'Monster'. And none of them were accurate," he said. "I believe that it was her mental illness that caused that. So I shared those words. And I think when it comes to forgiveness, I also felt that if I didn't get there, I would be eaten up inside forever."
When asked if he felt he failed in some way, he responded, "I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time. And I live with the outcome. I live with it every day." He admitted to having suicidal thoughts in the weeks following the tragedy, stating, "I didn't think I would live to see my 35th birthday. And I was completely fine with it."
During the seven-week trial, Patrick Clancy faced online vitriol and accusations of a cover-up, with some claiming he was to blame for the murders. He said this speculation was "deeply harmful to the legacy of my children. It is a huge distraction from what really matters here, which is perinatal mental health." It was also personally painful and made it difficult to be in public, he added. The intense scrutiny prompted him to move from Duxbury to New York City seeking anonymity.
He is now starting a family with his new wife, Rachel Danis, and looks forward to telling his future children about their siblings. "I think every parent can agree, you have different relationships with your kids, but they're all your kids. And I can't wait to tell them about their brothers and sister."
The mistrial leaves the case unresolved. Prosecutors have not yet indicated if they will seek a retrial. The next court hearing is scheduled for September 29 at Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts.