Lindsay Clancy has not taken the witness stand in her murder trial, but jurors have still been given several glimpses into her state of mind before and after the deaths of her three children.
The Massachusetts mother has communicated through brief answers to the judge, emotional reactions inside the courtroom and diary entries describing the struggles she says she experienced while caring for her young family.
Those moments have unfolded as prosecutors and defense attorneys present sharply different explanations for what happened on Jan. 24, 2023, when Clancy’s children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — were killed at the family’s Duxbury home.
Prosecutors allege that Clancy deliberately strangled all three children before attempting to take her own life. Her defense, meanwhile, argues that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and therefore should not be held criminally responsible for their deaths.
The second week of testimony has focused heavily on Clancy’s mental health, her behavior in the months leading up to the killings, the injuries she suffered afterward and the observations of people who interacted with her.
During one courtroom exchange, Clancy spoke directly to Judge William F. Sullivan while the jury was outside the room. The judge questioned her about whether she understood a stipulation concerning evidence in the case and repeatedly asked whether she understood her rights.
Clancy responded calmly, “Yes, your honor.”
It marked the first time her voice had been heard publicly during the trial.
Her emotional response was very different days later.
On Aug. 6, Clancy began sobbing and visibly shaking as a medical examiner testified about Callan’s autopsy. She covered her face with her hands while jurors heard testimony that the infant’s injuries were consistent with ligature strangulation.
The medical examiner determined that Callan died from complications of mechanical asphyxia. Prosecutors also presented photographs from the autopsy to the jury, although the images were not shown publicly.
Clancy’s own writings have also become an important part of the case.
Her diary entries, read aloud in court, described the emotional and physical strain she was experiencing as she cared for three children. In one entry, she wrote that she felt desperate for a break from caring for everyone and believed her mind was trying to make something physically wrong with her.
She also wrote about feeling guilty, struggling to sleep-train Callan and wanting professional help.
“I want help. I want to be well,” she wrote.
Her mental health before the killings
Psychiatrists who treated Clancy in the months before the deaths provided jurors with detailed accounts of her worsening mental health.
Dr. Jennifer Tufts testified about treating Clancy through approximately a dozen appointments beginning in September 2022.
At their first meeting, Clancy reportedly denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts and denied experiencing hallucinations. She described feeling overwhelmed, anxious and challenged by the demands of caring for her children.
Clancy, who worked as a labor-and-delivery nurse, later asked Tufts for help extending her maternity leave because she did not believe she was mentally ready to return to work.
In a message to the psychiatrist, she described postpartum anxiety and depression and said returning to caring for patients while dealing with difficulties at home would intensify her anxiety.
By December, Clancy had begun working with another medical provider and had gone through several medication changes.
She also reported intrusive thoughts, which she described as a feeling that she was going to die. Despite those symptoms, Tufts testified that Clancy continued to deny thoughts of harming herself.
Her condition deteriorated further that month. She became severely depressed and eventually went to an emergency room because of suicidal thoughts. She was also preparing to enter a partial hospitalization program and begin another medication.
In early January 2023, Clancy spent several days at a psychiatric facility, where she was treated by Dr. Alia Goodheart.
Goodheart testified that Clancy appeared anxious and described feeling emotionally numb, but her thinking remained organized and goal-directed. The psychiatrist diagnosed insomnia and worked with her on medication.
After several nights of sleep, Clancy asked to leave the facility one day earlier than planned because she wanted to return home to her family.
Goodheart described her as future-oriented and deeply invested in her children.
“She was future-oriented, she was clearly invested in her children, she was a caring mother,” the psychiatrist testified.
Even after leaving the facility, however, Clancy continued to struggle with depression and emotional numbness.
She contacted Tufts on Jan. 11 to ask about ketamine therapy, explaining that she had been struggling for months and was desperate for something that might help her recover quickly.
On Jan. 16, Tufts said Clancy remained depressed. The two discussed changing her medication again.
Although Clancy said she was caring for her baby, she reportedly described the emotional bond as feeling forced.
The final appointment between Clancy and Tufts occurred just one day before the killings.
According to Tufts, Clancy said she was doing relatively well but was experiencing increased anxiety, which she described as a racing heart. She denied suicidal and homicidal thoughts.
Tufts testified that nothing Clancy said or did during that appointment indicated that she posed a danger to herself or anyone else. The psychiatrist also said she had never observed signs of psychosis during their sessions.
What happened after the killings
The prosecution has also presented testimony about Clancy’s mental state after the deaths, arguing that her behavior afterward appeared rational and organized.
Two forensic psychiatrists testified about her condition in the days following the killings.
Because Clancy was on a ventilator during one hospital evaluation, she could not speak. Instead, she requested paper and a pen and communicated by writing.
Dr. Jhilam Biswas testified that Clancy wrote that she was “horrified” and asked for an attorney.
She also asked questions about whether her body was broken, whether her legs were straight, whether she could have visitors and where her family was.
Although she appeared anxious, Biswas said Clancy understood what was being asked of her and did not exhibit signs of hallucinations or psychosis.
Another psychiatrist, Dr. Sejal Shah, evaluated Clancy about a week after the killings. Shah described her as calm and cooperative, with organized and goal-directed thinking.
Friends and relatives noticed changes
Testimony from people close to Clancy has offered a more personal picture of the months leading up to the tragedy.
Amy Bevins, a longtime friend, testified that Clancy told her in January that a medication had caused what she described as “dark thoughts.”
According to Bevins, Clancy said she was tapering off that medication and trying new treatments. The overall tone of their conversation was hopeful, Bevins said, and Clancy appeared to believe she was moving toward feeling better.
Clancy’s father-in-law, Christopher Clancy, also described changes he noticed.
He recalled seeing her looking “very good” during a visit in November 2022 but said she was quieter around Thanksgiving. At times, he described her as appearing distant or blank, with what he characterized as a nervous stare.
By Christmas, he knew she was struggling.
He was aware that she was having difficulty sleeping, did not feel well and had recently visited an emergency room where his wife worked.
A part-time nanny, Elaine Rossi, testified that Clancy had spoken to her about postpartum difficulties. Rossi recalled seeing prescription medication bottles in the home but said she had never been concerned about Clancy’s behavior around the children.
She described Clancy as a “wonderful mom.”
Even on the day the children were killed, there was little outward indication to some people that anything was seriously wrong.
Clancy took Cora to a pediatrician only hours before the killings. Dr. Lindsay Rosshirt testified that she did not notice anything unusual during the appointment.
Cora appeared healthy and well-behaved, while Clancy appeared appropriate, the pediatrician said. Rosshirt also said she did not recall seeing obvious signs of postpartum problems that would have prompted a referral.
The injuries Clancy suffered
Jurors have also heard extensive testimony about Clancy’s physical condition after the killings and her suicide attempt.
Prosecutors allege that after killing her children, Clancy cut her wrists and neck before jumping from a second-story window.
The fall caused a serious thoracic spine injury that left her partially paralyzed. She was initially treated at South Shore Hospital before being transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Dr. Kelly McDonough testified that the injuries to Clancy’s neck were superficial, while the cuts to her wrists required several stitches.
After she was transferred to Boston, Clancy went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated, according to ICU nurse Rachelle Amedee. She also required multiple blood transfusions.
Prosecutors presented evidence of blood found throughout the Duxbury home, including drip, smear and transfer stains documented on areas such as the floor, mirror, nightstand and windowsill.
As the trial continues, the central question remains whether Clancy intentionally committed the killings or whether severe postpartum mental illness left her unable to understand or control her actions.
Clancy herself has not taken the stand. But through her writings, medical records, courtroom reactions and the testimony of those who knew her, jurors are hearing increasingly detailed accounts of the woman prosecutors say deliberately killed her children and the defense says was suffering from a devastating psychiatric condition.
