A contentious moment arose during the trial of Lindsay Clancy when a prosecutor was reportedly caught on a hot mic making the remark "Shut her up" as Clancy sobbed during the presentation of autopsy photos of her infant son, Callan. The incident occurred Thursday in Plymouth Superior Court, according to Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington.
Reddington brought the alleged comment to the attention of Judge William Sullivan after a break, expressing his protest. "They got picked up on a hot mic saying 'Shut her up,' during the playing of the autopsy," Reddington stated, as reported by the New York Post.
The comment was allegedly made while medical examiner Dr. Kimberly Springer was on the stand and autopsy images of 8-month-old Callan were being shown. During this portion of the testimony, Clancy, who is accused of fatally strangling her three young children with exercise bands on Jan. 24, 2023, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, was audibly distressed.
The defense team for Clancy, 35, has claimed she was experiencing a psychotic postpartum episode at the time of the children's deaths. The identity of the "her" referred to in the hot mic comment was not immediately clear, but the timing of the remark, coinciding with Clancy's emotional reaction to the autopsy photos of her baby, led to the defense's objection.
Judge Sullivan indicated a desire to discuss the issue privately, initially suggesting a sidebar conference with the legal teams, even before the jury had returned to the courtroom. The attorneys then proceeded to a sidebar discussion to address the matter.
Clancy is charged with the murders of her three children, including Callan, Cora, and Dawson, who were all under the age of five. The prosecution alleges she strangled them with exercise bands in their Duxbury home. The defense maintains her actions were a result of severe postpartum mental illness. The trial is ongoing.