LIVE UPDATES: Day 4 of Lindsay Clancy murder trial to begin with jury trip to crime scene
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Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is underway in Massachusetts. The 35-year-old woman is charged with three counts of murder for the strangling deaths of her three children, ages 5, 3, and 8 months old. Clancy is present in the courtroom, bound to a wheelchair after she was paralyzed by injuries she sustained when she jumped from her home’s second-story window in an alleged suicide attempt. Her defense lawyer claims she was insane at the time, suffering from postpartum psychosis, and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions. We are posting live updates from the courtroom here. Time notes are Eastern Daylight Time. Please forgive typos.
12:39 pm. Judge Sullivan is excusing the jury until Monday at 9 a.m. He says he expects a late start on Monday and that testimony will last the full day. The judge admonishes the jury about avoiding publicity.
12:31 pm. Commonwealth calls Witness No. 18: Melissa Arcadipane, specimen processing supervisor at South Shore Hospital. Arcadipane explains the protocol when a preservation order is received from law enforcement. She says a preservation notice was ordered for blood and urine samples from Lindsay Clancy. She recalls being handed more than six vials of blood and one urine sample from Lindsay. (No cross by defense)
12:26 p.m. Commonwealth calls Witness No. 17: Dr. Benjamin Kaufman, ER physician at Beth Israel Hospital. Kaufman testifies that he treated Callan Clancy. He says when he first saw Callan, CPR was ongoing and the baby was receiving breaths via bag mask. Kaufman says as soon as Callan came in, the medical team put in a breathing tube and was able to get an IV established. Kaufman says Callan’s heart started beating. He says the team continued working on him while they were on the phone with Boston Children’s Hospital to ready him for transport. (Lindsay appears to be crying softly during this testimony. Her shoulders shake, her body is trembling.)
Kaufman testifies that Callan scored the lowest on the Glasgow Coma Scale, meaning he basically had no brain function. He says Callan was flown to Boston Children’s Hospital. (No cross by defense)
12:17 p.m. Commonwealth calls Witness No. 16: Dr. Mark Joseph Tenerowicz, ER physician at Beth Israel Hospital. Tenerowicz testifies that he treated Dawson Clancy. He says he was told Dawson was strangled, found without a pulse and not breathing. He says Dawson came into the ER with a breathing tube and CPR was in progress. Prosecutor: Any trauma to Dawson’s body? Tenerowicz: Old bruises on his legs. Tenerowicz says his team continued CPR and gave him adrenaline to restart his heart. He says they would stop to check if Dawson had a pulse or was breathing on his own. At one point, Tenerowicz says they used an ultrasound and found no evidence of a heartbeat. Despite the amount of time CPR was given in the field, the medicines given, the CPR continued, and breathing for him, Tenerowicz says Dawson’s heart would not start again. Tenerowicz says he and his team worked on Dawson for 40 minutes, in addition to what paramedics did. Prosecutor: When did you declare him deceased? Tenerowicz: At 19:28 p.m.
12:07 p.m. Commonwealth calls Witness No. 15: Officer Richard Lippard, Duxbury Police Department. Lippard testifies that he was recalled from his shift, which had already ended, and reported to South Shore Hospital to take over watch of Lindsay Clancy. He says she seemed to be sedated and he had no conversation with her. Lippard says Lindsay was confined to the emergency room area. Lippard says doctors said she would be med-flighted to Brigham and he accompanied her to the ER at Brigham. He says he remained at Brigham Hospital with Lindsay for 15 to 16 hours. Lippard says there was a medical code for Lindsay during the night. | Defense cross of Lippard begins. Reddington: Lindsay was unconscious during his watch, not talking during the helicopter ride? Lippard: Correct. Reddington: Two officers watched Lindsay at Brigham? Lippard: Do not recall any other police in the room with her apart from the two. Reddington: Around 2:24 a.m., there was a medical code called, which led to bedlam. A Code Blue was called, which meant she was dead or dying? Lippard: Yes. Reddington: She was chained to the hospital bed? Lippard: I don’t recall that she was handcuffed. Lippard says he left the next morning around 10 a.m. when he was relieved by two other Duxbury police officers.
12:02 p.m. Defense continues cross of Maffeo: Reddington: Police seized a laptop in the hallway closet of the Clancy home and turned it over to Massachusetts State Police. Did police open the drawer of the nightstand? Maffeo: I was not present. (End of cross) | Prosecutor on redirect: Were the hospital personnel treating cuts to her neck and wrists? Maffeo: No. | Defense on recross: How many Duxbury police officers were at the home? It more than 10, including state troopers? Maffeo: Correct.
11:50 a.m. Reddington: Lindsay was unconscious at that point (in the hospital)? Maffeo: Yes. Reddington: Are these the cuts that appeared on her wrists? Maffeo: Correct. Reddington: On her neck? Maffeo: Yes. (Reddington displays clothing that was cut from Lindsay, calling attention to the blood on the clothing.) Maffeo says he doesn’t notice the blood. Defense notes that a bra that Lindsay was wearing has blood on it; witness agrees. Reddington: There was blood on the interior and exterior of her clothing? Maffeo: Correct. (Defense notes blood on the windowsill and shingles, blood on the ground.) Reddington: Police searched the house and seized pill bottles? Maffeo says he was in the house but was not present for the seizure of pill bottles. Reddington: Bedroom was cold? Maffeo: Yes. Reddington: Blood on the floor? Top of nightstand? Maffeo: Yes. (Defense shows image of a close-up view of a knife on the nightstand, shows blood. Defense also displays a photo of the bedroom, with Reddington noting blood at the end of the bed and on the window. Prosecution raises objection; attorneys called to sidebar.)
11:49 a.m. Defense Attorney Kevin Reddington starts his cross-examination of Maffeo by wanting the officer to identify some photos. Prosecution asks for a sidebar.
11:44 a.m. Maffeo: Turned over clothing items collected from hospital staff to state trooper. Did not speak to Lindsay — she was in custody at the hospital and placed under supervision by an officer. Maffeo says he returned to the Clancy home and was present for the execution of a search warrant by Massachusetts State Police.
11:37 a.m. Commonwealth Witness No. 14: Sgt. Mark Anthony Maffeo, Duxbury Police Department: Went to the South Shore Hospital after reporting to the Clancy home. There was some initial confusion. Observed Lindsay at SS hospital; she appeared sedated and had lacerations to her arms and neck. (Pictures of the cuts to Lindsay’s neck and arms are displayed for the jury.) Maffeo says clothes were collected from hospital staff, shirt, pants, scarf, wedding bands.
11:36 a.m. Jury has returned to the courthouse. Court is back in session.
10:40 a.m. All jurors are leaving the home and headed back to the courthouse.
9:58 a.m. One group of jurors has arrived at the home and gotten off the bus.
9:50 a.m. Lindsay Clancy is not going to the home. Media have been ordered to stay 100 yards from the home. Police have blocked all roads leading up to the home. Below is a video our producer shot before being asked to move back:
9:20 a.m. Jurors are not allowed to touch anything and cannot open closet doors. The judge, prosecutors and Lindsay Clancy’s attorney will also be at the home. Lindsay is allowed to go too. The jury is then expected to return to the courtroom, and witnesses will be back on the stand. Police have blocked all roads leading to the home. The media has been ordered to stay 100 yards from the home.
9:15 a.m. Judge William F. Sullivan gives instructions to the jury. The group will drive by the CVS Pharmacy and the ThreeV restaurant — key locations in the case — then go to view the house where the children were killed. They are being broken into three groups with six jurors in each group. Each group will go through the home, and the attorneys will point out what they should note at each location.