The psychiatrist treating Lindsay Clancy increased the dosage of her medication one day before the mother allegedly strangled her three children to death, jurors heard in court. Dr. Jennifer Tufts, who prescribed Clancy multiple medications in the four months leading up to the January 2023 killings, faced extensive questioning from Clancy's defense team.
During a combative cross-examination in Plymouth County Superior Court, Dr. Tufts admitted to continuing to prescribe Clancy more drugs even as the mother expressed concerns that the medications were exacerbating her depression. On January 16, 2023, eight days before the deaths, Dr. Tufts prescribed Clancy the antidepressant Amitriptyline. That same day, Clancy reported feeling numb, depressed, and detached from her baby.
In a subsequent appointment on January 23, Dr. Tufts increased Clancy's dosage of Amitriptyline. Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, questioned this decision, asking if it pushed his client "over the edge." Dr. Tufts responded, "I don't think so." Approximately 24 hours later, Clancy is accused of strangling her children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, with exercise bands in their Duxbury home. She then allegedly cut her own wrists and neck before jumping from a second-story window in a suicide attempt.
Clancy, 35, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with her defense arguing she was suffering from severe postpartum depression and psychosis at the time of the killings. The defense contends that Clancy was overmedicated, having been prescribed 13 different medications from multiple providers in the four months preceding the incidents.
Dr. Tufts began treating Clancy in September 2022, conducting 14 appointments via Zoom between then and January 24, 2023. During this period, she prescribed antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety, and sleep medications. Dr. Tufts testified previously that she observed no signs of psychosis in Clancy, even during their final appointment the day before the children's deaths.
However, under cross-examination, Dr. Tufts conceded that she had never met Clancy in person. She also acknowledged that she had completed her psychiatric residency at Boston Medical School only in 2022 and obtained her individual DEA license to prescribe medication in August 2022, just one month before her first appointment with Clancy. Furthermore, Dr. Tufts admitted she had no prior experience treating patients with postpartum psychosis, despite Clancy reportedly seeking her out due to her advertised specialization in postpartum mental health.
During their initial Zoom meeting in September 2022, Dr. Tufts prescribed Clancy Zoloft. By October, Clancy reported side effects including worsened insomnia, increased depression, mental fog, loss of appetite, and paranoia about suicidal thoughts. She also told Dr. Tufts that she "didn't want to be left alone," prompting Clancy's mother to move in with her and her husband, Patrick Clancy.
As Clancy continued receiving medication and treatment from other providers, Dr. Tufts acknowledged that these medical professionals did not communicate with each other. She did not ask Clancy to sign a release form to access her medical records or speak with other doctors, relying instead on the information Clancy provided, whom she described as cooperative and able to advocate for herself.
Jurors also heard testimony from Julie Paul, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who briefly treated Clancy in November 2022. Paul prescribed Prozac, followed by Ambien, Remeron, and Klonopin. Paul transferred Clancy's care due to her own transfer from the hospital.
The trial is ongoing, with the defense continuing its cross-examination of Paul. If convicted, Clancy faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole. A verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity would result in her commitment to a psychiatric hospital.