Lindsay Clancy trial hears ex-husband describe her decline
Patrick Clancy testified that Lindsay Clancy’s mental health worsened before their three children were killed in 2023.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
The Lindsay Clancy trial opened with emotional testimony from Patrick Clancy, her ex-husband, who described what he said was a steep decline in her mental health before their three children died at the family’s Massachusetts home in 2023.
Prosecutors accuse Lindsay Clancy of strangling Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan in a Boston suburb. Clancy has not denied killing the children, according to Rolling Stone, but her defense says she developed postpartum psychosis after Callan’s birth and was not criminally responsible for her actions.
Patrick Clancy, who was married to Lindsay at the time of the children’s deaths, supports that claim, as does her lawyer. Rolling Stone reported that the defense plans to pursue an insanity defense. Patrick and Lindsay Clancy have since divorced, and Patrick has remarried.
What is Lindsay Clancy’s defense?
Her defense centers on postpartum psychosis, a rare psychiatric condition after childbirth that can involve delusions and hallucinations, according to the National Institutes of Health. Clancy’s side argues that the condition left her unable to be held responsible for the killings.
According to NBC Boston, Patrick Clancy told jurors that Lindsay experienced anxiety around returning to work after maternity leave following each child’s birth. After Callan was born, he testified, she did not return to work and was often caring for three young children with different sleep schedules and needs.
CBS News reported that Patrick said Lindsay’s condition worsened by fall 2022. He testified that she changed psychiatrists because her treatment at the time did not appear to be helping, and that after seeing a new provider she came home with different medications.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague pressed Patrick on whether Lindsay had been taking all of her prescribed medication, according to CBS News. Sprague asked whether there were many pills prescribed but not many taken. Patrick testified that by Thanksgiving 2022, Lindsay was in “rough shape,” spoke little, had low energy and was depressed.
Patrick said Lindsay’s condition deteriorated further after a medication change in December 2022, CBS News reported. He testified that she lost weight, became more depressed, struggled day to day and began saying she was suicidal.
That same month, Patrick testified, Lindsay told him she was having intrusive thoughts about hurting the children. He said he asked whether she needed to be separated from them, and she said no. He also testified that he never saw her harm the children.
Patrick described a series of hospital and treatment visits. He said Lindsay was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, later went to a day program in Providence on doctors’ recommendations, returned to an emergency room with suicide concerns on Dec. 31, 2022, and then received more care at McLean Hospital. He testified that she was discharged Jan. 5, 2023, after asking to leave so she could attend Cora’s birthday party.
Both Lindsay Clancy and Patrick Clancy filed separate lawsuits earlier this year against her medical providers, alleging failures in diagnosing, treating and monitoring what they described as a serious postpartum psychiatric condition.
What did Patrick Clancy say about the day the children died?
Patrick testified that Jan. 24, 2023, seemed like one of Lindsay’s better days and that she did not mention suicidal thoughts, according to NBC Boston. He said Lindsay suggested takeout, and he left the house to pick up the order.
Before he walked out, Patrick said he held Callan briefly, kissed Cora on the head and saw Dawson eating chicken nuggets on the couch. He testified that Lindsay was holding Callan near the basement door when he left.
While Patrick was gone, prosecutors allege Lindsay Clancy took the children to the basement and strangled them with exercise bands. Rolling Stone reported that Clancy then jumped from a window, was paralyzed in the fall and now uses a wheelchair.
Patrick Clancy’s testimony is scheduled to continue Wednesday.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.