MOM Lindsay Clancy who is accused of killing her three children before jumping out of a window has been seen in court for the first time.
The Massachusetts nurse is accused of murdering Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at their Duxbury home on January 24, 2023, while her husband was running an errand.
Lindsay Clancy made her first in-person court appearance on Friday as she prepares to go to trial over the deaths of her three childrenCredit: ABC 7
Clancy is accused of strangling her children with a fitness band in 2023 while her husband Patrick was running an errandCredit: Facebook
She allegedly strangled all three with a fitness band before launching herself out of a window in a failed attempt to take her own life which resulted in permanent paralysis from the neck down.
Clancy made her first in-court appearance on Friday, after having previously attended hearings only via video from Tewksbury State Hospital where she has been undergoing treatment.
During the pre-trial hearing, her attorney requested on her behalf that the proceedings be split into two separate phases.
The 35-year-old wants one jury to hear the case for if she is guilty of strangling and killing her three children and another, separate trial, to decide if she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time.
They will have to decide if she had a “mental disease or defect” that would have impacted her actions at the time of the children’s deaths.
This second phase of the trial would only go ahead if she is found guilty in the first part.
She has pleaded not guilty, with her lawyers citing mental health issues including postpartum depression and psychosis.
Clancy’s attorney previously mentioned in court that she had a brief stint in a mental hospital amid a battle with depression three weeks before the fateful day, but was sent home after five days with two new prescriptions.
Her defense attorney Kevin Reddington noted that Clancy was taking 12 medications at the time of the killings.
These included Prozac and Seroquel, which allegedly gave her side effects such as “homicidal and suicidal ideation.”
Last month, Clancy’s husband filed a civil lawsuit against his wife’s former doctors claiming she was over prescribed medication including antidepressants and mood stabilizers to the point where she heard voices.
The wrongful death and malpractice lawsuit accuses he psychiatrist and a nurse practitioner of failing to care for Clancy property despite knowing her history of poor mental health.
Clancy was wheeled into the courtroom on Friday, where her parents were also present.
They have visited their daughter daily at Tewksbury Hospital, with her mom Paula tearfully telling CBS News “she’s a lovely mother, she always has been”.
Reddington noted that he is “protective” of Clancy and is trying to “gradually acclimate” her to in-person court appearances before the trial scheduled for July 2026 in Plymouth Superior Court.
“It’s a very emotionally draining thing and she’s nervous and scared,” he said.
More to follow…
The mother’s lawyers claim she was suffering from postpartum psychosis following the birth of her baby Callan who was eight months old when he diedCredit: Facebook
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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