Massachusetts Mother Faces Murder Trial in Deaths of Three Young Children

Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the case against a Massachusetts woman accused of strangling her three children while receiving psychiatric care for severe mental illness that emerged following childbirth. Lindsay Clancy, 36, has entered a not guilty plea to murder charges stemming from the deaths of her children: Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months old. The killings occurred on January 24, 2023, in the family’s Duxbury home, located approximately 30 miles south of Boston.

Following the deaths of her children, Clancy jumped from a window and sustained injuries that left her paralyzed. She is currently detained at a state hospital. The trial is anticipated to examine postpartum psychosis, a rare psychiatric condition that affects a small segment of women following delivery and can involve delusions and hallucinations.

Defense attorneys and Clancy’s husband contend that psychiatric illness rendered her incapable of rational decision-making. The prosecution maintains the crimes were premeditated and deliberate rather than the result of diminished mental capacity. Clancy’s legal team, led by attorney Kevin Reddington, plans to mount an insanity defense while acknowledging her role in the deaths.

On the day in question, Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, requested that her husband Patrick leave to obtain takeout and pharmacy items before she used exercise bands to kill the children. Eighteen jurors, including six alternates, will be selected over several days, with the trial expected to extend for multiple weeks.

Earlier this year, Clancy and her husband filed lawsuits alleging that medical providers failed to adequately diagnose, treat, and monitor a severe postpartum psychiatric condition. Court documents describe her experiencing depression, insomnia, and persistent auditory hallucinations commanding her to injure herself and her children. She had spent days in a psychiatric hospital weeks prior to the tragedy.

According to the lawsuit, on the morning of the killings, Clancy heard voices stating, “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself.” Her husband has indicated he has forgiven his wife and appears on both prosecution and defense witness lists.