LIVE UPDATES: Defendant’s ex-husband takes the stand on Day 1 of Lindsay Clancy murder trial

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 depression and overmedication, 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.

3:04 p.m. Judge Sullivan has decided to break for the day and will reconvene court on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. There will be no court on Tuesday, but the judge did not give a reason why.

2:59 p.m. Patrick says in the late afternoon on Jan. 24, around 4:50 p.m., Lindsay and Patrick decided they would get takeout that evening from the restaurant 3V. He says that they had eaten at the restaurant before, but it wasn’t their usual takeout place. He says Lindsay sent a message at 4:56 p.m., asking him to take a look at the menu. He says he sent her a message a few minutes later asking if Callan had napped, and she replied yes, but it was shorter than usual. He says Lindsay placed the order.

2:54 p.m. Patrick says he and Lindsay exchanged text messages the morning of Jan. 24. At 8:17 a.m., Patrick sent Lindsay a picture of Dawson. She sent him a picture of Cora at the doctor’s office. Prosecutor: How often did you go upstairs to interact with Lindsay and the kids that day? Patrick: Once or twice. Prosecutor: How was Lindsay’s mood? Patrick: She was happy. She was playing with the kids. She seemed to be in a good mood. Prosecutor: At any point did she say she was having suicidal thoughts? Patrick: No. She was having one of her best days.

2:51 p.m. Prosecutor: That Monday, Jan. 23, did Dawson and Cora go to school? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor: Lindsay picked them up? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor: Did she say Cora was having stomach issues? Patrick: Yes. Cora was embarrassed to go to the bathroom at school – she held it all day. Prosecutor: Cora had a doctor’s appointment on Jan 24, 2023. That morning, was the appointment at 8 a.m.? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor: Who took her? Patrick: Lindsay. Prosecutor: You were home with the boys? Patrick: Yes. I sent her a picture of Dawson, who dressed himself for the first time that morning. Prosecutor: He was excited? Patrick: Yes. Lindsay responded with a photo of Cora. The prosecution displays the photos for the jury.

2:49 p.m. Patrick says that Lindsay’s parents visited the following weekend. They went and hung out with the Carneys – some friends. Prosecutor: What was her demeanor that day? Patrick: She was quieter. After they returned home, Patrick says Lindsay’s parents left. Lindsay and her mom took a picture that weekend. Prosecutor: She seemed to be doing better? Patrick: Overall, yes.

2:44 p.m. Patrick says that on Jan. 16, 2023, he took Cora skiing. He says Lindsay stayed home with Dawson and Callan. Prosecutor: Were there any issues with Lindsay being alone with the boys? Patrick: No. Prosecutor: Was she able to communicate with you? Patrick: Yes, via text. We exchanged photos of the children with each other that day; the prosecution displays the photos Patrick and Lindsay exchanged. Patrick said Lindsay sent him a photo of herself smiling and holding the baby. He says he thought she seemed to be doing better; her mood was better. Prosecutor: She was going to the gym? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor: Were you hopeful things were getting better? Patrick: Yes.

2:39 p.m. Prosecution plays video from the water park of the children frolicking in the water. This video is displayed on all the monitors, including the one at defense table. Lindsay glances at the monitor occasionally but avoids watching the video.

2:31 p.m. Patrick says the family went to Charlie Horse restaurant after their visit to the science museum. Asked about Lindsay’s demeanor at the restaurant, he says, “It was good. I was hopeful. She seemed much better.” Prosecutor: You went out to lunch with friends on Jan. 14? Patrick says he was gone for about two hours, and Lindsay encouraged him to go out. The family also went to a water park; prosecution displays a photo from that outing. The photo shows Lindsay holding Callan; video of the family checking in is played for the jury.

2:24 p.m. During a sidebar, Patrick occasionally glances in Lindsay’s direction. She appears to avoid looking at him, keeping her gaze lowered. Jurors look around the courtroom.

2:20 p.m. Patrick says I would ask Lindsay how she slept, and she said she slept a little better but was still struggling. Prosecutor: Did Lindsay still have suicidal thoughts? Patrick: She told me no. Prosecutor: Did Lindsay tell you during that time that she had thoughts of harming the children? Patrick: No.
On Jan. 8, the family went to the museum. Patrick is asked to identify the children in a video from the science museum they visited on Jan 8.

2:17 p.m. Prosecutor asks Patrick about Cora’s interests. Patrick says Cora had a lot of friends. (He seems to get a little choked up while answering the question.) Asked about Dawson, Patrick says he liked trucks and “Paw Patrol.” (Patrick’s breathing becomes a little heavier.) “Callan was a happy baby,” Patrick says. Prosecutor: Was there a birthday party for Cora? Patrick says yes. He and Lindsay organized the birthday party. He says Lindsay was present for the party and Lindsay got all the supplies. Video from the birthday party is played for the jury. Lindsay appears with Cora in the videos.

2:13 p.m. Prosecutor: Lindsay was discharged from McLean Hospital on Jan. 5, 2023 – Were you aware she had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Tufts scheduled for the following day? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor offers Patrick a photo of his children, then displays a photo of Cora and asks Patrick to describe Cora. Defense objects; the judge calls attorneys to sidebar.

2:10 p.m. Afternoon session in the Lindsay Clancy case is expected to resume shortly. Patrick Clancy resumes his testimony on direct examination by prosecutor Jennifer Sprague.

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12:59 p.m. Court is breaking for lunch until 2 p.m.

12:54 p.m. Patrick testifies that Lindsay was admitted to McLean Hospital on Jan. 1. Prosecutor: How often did you see Lindsay in McLean? Patrick testifies that he visited her there twice. Prosecutor: Visiting hours were from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Out of the five days she was there, you visited two or three times? Patrick: Correct. He continues, saying that by the third day, Lindsay hadn’t met with the doctor. She arrived on a Sunday, and Monday was a holiday. She didn’t see a doctor until Tuesday. Patrick says Lindsay was seen by mental health workers every day that she was there, but he didn’t get updates. He says she participated in group therapy on Jan 1, and he was aware of group activities. Patrick testifies that Lindsay declined further group therapy on the afternoon of Jan 3, and on Jan. 4, she participated in a group on medication management. Prosecutor: She declined treatment on Jan. 5 and asked to be discharged on Jan 6 so she could attend Cora’s birthday party on Jan. 7? Patrick: I don’t recall. Prosecutor: Were there any issues with insurance? Patrick: I would have paid anything to get her better.

12:49 p.m. Prosecutor: Do you recall her bringing the children to see their doctor in December? Patrick: Yes. Prosecutor: On Dec. 30, Lindsay took Callan to the doctor and interacted with the staff, correct? Patrick: She was still talking about suicide. I was exhausted. We didn’t really know what was wrong. I thought it was time to go to McLean Hospital (a mental health treatment center in the Boston area). Prosecutor: Were you aware that night she was taking selfies? Patrick: No. Prosecution enters Exhibit 8 into evidence; it’s a selfie of Lindsay at the hospital and another photo of the room.

12:46 p.m. Prosecutor: Lindsay’s thoughts of harming the kids came after Thanksgiving and and before Dec. 6. Were you concerned? Patrick” No. She did not have a plan to harm the kids. Prosecutor: Did she visit the emergency room on Dec. 15? Patrick: She told her dad that she wanted to commit suicide. I brought her to the ER that time. At Mass General, she saw – I remember there was one doctor in favor, 2 others favored the day program.

12:41 p.m. Prosecutor: What’s your reaction when she tells you she had suicidal thoughts? Patrick: I just wanted to support her. Her mother was coming regularly; I just wanted to be supportive. Prosecutor: Was she having intrusive thoughts?” Patrick: Yes. She described thoughts of hurting the kids, or them having some sort of ailment. Prosecutor: Did she tell you she heard voices? Patrick: No.

12:39 p.m. Prosecutor: Around Dec. 6, do you remember Lindsay telling you she was starting Seroquel? Patrick: I thought it was before Dec. 6. Prosecutor: Do you recall how she was responding? Patrick: She started to lose a lot of weight, and she became very depressed. She was having a hard time. She started to say she was suicidal in December 2022. Prosecutor: Did you ask her if she had a plan to kill herself? Patrick: She said ‘no.’ Prosecutor: Did she ever mention how she would kill herself? Patrick: “no.” Prosecutor: Did she say this was the first time she had suicidal thoughts? Patrick: I just remember she had them.

12:35 p.m. Prosecutor: What was Lindsay’s demeanor when this photo was taken? Patrick: She was in rough shape that day, low energy. Prosecutor: Your anniversary was in December; do you recall going to the Omni Parker house? Patrick: We stayed home. We stayed home and got takeout. Prosecutor: Did you go out and get a Christmas tree? Patrick: Yes.

12:31 p.m. Prosecutor: Between September and November 2022, what types of things were you doing? Patrick: We celebrated Halloween, but I don’t remember what else. Prosecutor: Did you attend a food truck event? Patrick: Yes. The prosecutor displays pictures of Cora, Dawson and Callan with Lindsay at an event they attended. Patrick says they had plans to visit Patrick’s parents, then visit his sister in Southampton. The prosecution displays a picture of Lindsay with Patrick’s sister.

12:26 p.m. Police found that from the September prescription for Zoloft, only seven pills had been taken. From an Oct. 26, 2022, prescription for Ativan, only 6 of 30 pills had been taken. From another prescription filled on Oct. 26, 2022, only 2 of 30 pills had been taken. From a presciption for hydroxandene, only three pills had been taken. On Nov 9, 2022, 30 pills prescribed (of something) were prescribed to Lindsay; police found none of those pills was taken. From her Trazadone prescription, prescribed on Nov 16, 2022, 7.5 of the 30 pills had been taken. Prosecutor points out that while a lot of pills were prescribed to Lindsay, not a lot of them were actually taken by Lindsay. It’s possible that a lot were taken (not in the bag), but the maximum number of medications she was on at any one time was three or four.

12:23 p.m. Prosecutor: On Feb. 6, 2023, did you provide a bag of prescription medication to police? Patrick: Yes. Police took a bag of prescriptions that night; there was a bag I had in my truck. I was supposed to take it to the police station for disposal. Prosecutor: These were medications that head been prescribed to Lindsay? Patrick: Correct.

12:19 p.m. Patrick testifies that Lindsay kept getting worse between mid-October and December 2022. Prosecutor: At some point, did Lindsay switch mental health providers? Patrick said whatever his wife was doing wasn’t wasn’t working, so she thought she should work with a perinatal psychiatrist. He says she got a referral from Patrick’s mother. Patrick says Lindsay went to see Julie Paul at the South Shore Perinatal Clinic. Prosecutor: How long did she see Julie Paul? Patrick: Four or five days. Prosecutor: Then she saw Rebecca — did she have different medications? Patrick: Yes.

12:16 p.m. Patrick says Lindsay stopped taking the medication when she had trouble sleeping. Prosecutor: Did Lindsay tell you she was supposed to double the dose? After reviewing a document, Patrick says: I guess she did. Prosecutor: Did you notice changes in her sleep? Patrick: Eventually, yeah. One night she said, I’m not mad or anything, but do you mind sleeping in the basement. I’m having a lot of trouble sleeping. Patrick: Did you, in fact, start sleeping in the basement? Patrick: I did for two nights, then Lindsay went to sleep in the basement. She did so for a few weeks.

12:12 p.m. While they were attending a wedding in New Hampshire, Patrick testifies Lindsay said she was going to start taking Zoloft to help with her anxiety. She was seeing psychiatrist Jennifer Tufts, and around October Patrick learned that Lindsay was taking Zoloft. Prosecutor: Did you notice any changes in Lindsay while she was on Zoloft and you were not aware she was taking the medication? Patrick: She was getting more depressed. At the time she discussed taking the medication, she had a prescription but hadn’t taken it yet.

12:09 p.m. Patrick says that Lindsay was athletic, did cheerleading in high school and college. She did a lot of running, Peloton, Beachbody, right before she had Callan. Prosecutor: What was the defendant’s demeanor when you returned to work? Patrick: She had increased anxiety – stressed out. Once she said, ‘It’s so unnatural to be separated from a newborn,’ it was a difficult transition for her.

12:04 p.m. In the fall of 2022, Cora and Dawson started attending preschool. A full day was 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a half day was 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They went Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and in the mornings on Thursday. Both Patrick and Lindsay picked the kids up and dropped off at preschool, each taking turns. The couple hired Elaine to be the nanny in August and September of 2022. Prosecutor: Who did Elaine take care of? Patrick: Everyone – but mainly Callan.

12:02 p.m. Prosecutor: What were you seeing in her behavior? Patrick: A lot of stress. There were different nap schedules for the kids. Patrick went back to work in August. He says he often came up from his basement office to have lunch and just say hello. He would watch the two children if Lindsay had an errand to run. The plan was for Lindsay to work shifts a week at the hospital; there was a lot of flexibility.

12 p.m. Family life was “great,” Patrick says. He spent a lot of time with Cora and Dawson, took them to the playground and parties. Lindsay would come with us, or she would stay home with Callan, he says. They went to the beach, went out on a boat, went to friends’ houses. Prosecutor: Were there signs of Lindsay having anxiety? Patrick: Starting in September 2022, there were, but in the previous months after Callan’s birth, not so much. Lindsay was scheduled to go back to work in October. She showed the same pattern of anxiety just before it was time to go back to work.

11:58 a.m. Prosecutor: After Dawson’s birth, did Lindsay want to declutter the garage? Patrick: Yes. She threw stuff away and sold items. The couple’s third child was Callan, born May 26, 2022. Patrick testifies that his delivery was relatively quick, and there was not as much physical trauma to Lindsay compared to Cora’s and Dawson’s births. Patrick says Lindsay did not go back to work after Callan’s birth. Patrick’s paternity leave was 12 weeks.

11:57 a.m. Patrick: Lindsay had a really hard time being separated from the children. Prosecutor: What was the plan after Dawon was born? Patrick: It was the same thing. The babysitter’s hours stayed consistent. Prosecutor: Was Lindsay on psychiatric medication after Dawson’s birth? Patrick: No. Prosecutor: Did she seek mental health treatment? Patrick: She got a therapist for a short period of time.

11:54 a.m. Dawson’s delivery was “traumatic,” Patrick says. Dawson was born in a breech position, which caused Lindsay significant bruising and tearing. She had difficulty recovering from Dawson’s birth, more so than from Cora’s birth. Patrick says Lindsay had maternity leave for longer than 12 weeks – 13 or 14 weeks. After reviewing a document, Patrick testifies that Lindsay had 18 weeks of maternity leave after Dawson’s delivery.

11:51 a.m. Prosecutor: After your paternity leave, was Lindsay still on maternity leave? Patrick: Yes. She had a lot of anxiety and struggled with the date of going back to work. Before Cora was born, she was working 40 hours. After Cora, she went back and worked one shift at a time, then two shifts, working her way up to 20 hours a week. Prosecutor: Did she have help with caring for Cora? Patrick: We had a babysitter 12 hours a week. The babysitter worked for the Clancys for several years.

11:50 a.m. Patrick says he started working from home in 2018. His home office was in the basement. Prosecutor: Did Lindsay have any physical issues after the birth? Patrick: There was a lot of tearing. She bled a lot. It took a while for her to recover from the birth. Patrick says Lindsay was working at Massachusetts General Hospital as a labor and delivery nurse. She had been working as a nurse for three years. Her maternity leave with Cora was the shortest of the three births. Patrick said he had two weeks of paternity leave.

11:46 a.m. Patrick Clancy testifies that he is divorced from Lindsay Clancy. He says he started dating Lindsay in July 2013, they moved in together in 2015 and lived together in Quincy. After a year, they bought a house in Weymouth and got married in 2016. They had their first child, Cora, in 2017. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague asks: Prior to getting married, did Lindsay take psych medication? Patrick answers: Not that I can recall. he says they moved to Duxbury in July 2018.

11:39 a.m. Commonwealth calls Patrick Clancy, Lindsay Clancy’s ex-husband and father of the children she killed, as its first witness.

11:18 a.m. There were two very different themes in the opening statements. The Commonwealth opened by describing the children, their mother’s behavior around the time of their murders, and how she planned and executed their murders. Prosecutors say she selected the restaurant from where her husband would pick up takeout so that he would be out of the house long enough for her to carry out her plan. They suggest she was a control freak and killed her children to be free of them because they could not be cared for in the manner she wanted. The defense focused on Lindsay Clancy’s spiraling mental illness and claimed that up until she became ill, she was a dedicated mother and nurse who loved and cared for her children. Reddington countered the prosecution’s theory that she faked her suicide attempt to escape responsibility by displaying pictures of her self-inflicted injuries. He ridiculed the Commonwealth’s contention that the voices that ordered her to kill were concocted – he noted she told someone about the voices as soon as she came out of her coma.

11:02 a.m. Lindsay Clancy remains motionless, stoic during her lawyer’s opening statement. Court is in recess for 20 minutes.

10:59 a.m. Reddington walks jurors through the timeline of Lindsay Clancy’s illness, how hard she sought help, the medications she was prescribed, and how the treatments failed her. He insists that Lindsay was a dedicated mother and nurse, and that she did not kill her children because she wanted to be free of them, as the government contends; she loved them until their deaths.

10:56 a.m. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington opens by telling jurors that he disagrees with the government’s contention that this is not a referendum on postpartum illness. “It is,” he says. Reddington continues, saying the district attorney brought this charge, and he knew when he brought this charge, it would kill the soul of this young woman. She knows she killed these children. The issue is what was going on in her mind.

10:31 a.m. Prosecutor Buckingham says the fact that someone has mental health issues is not the end of the query; it’s whether they can appreciate the wrongfulness of their acts. This defendant coldly executed Dawson, Cora, and finally Callan. She did it with premeditation and with extreme atrocity. She is responsible. She knew exactly what she was doing. She had the opportunity and the time to carry out these murders. She attempted to kill herself to escape the consequences.

10:21 a.m. Lindsay Clancy keeps her head lowered while the prosecutor details what happened that day, including how she brought her kids to the basement and strangled each of them until they were dead.

10:10 a.m. Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham gives the opening statement for the Commonwealth.

10:09 a.m. No court tomorrow. Judge offers no reason.

10:08 a.m. Judge instructs the jury not to visit any of the locations mentioned in testimony – the jury will view the scenes under the supervision of the court, possibly next week.

10:03 a.m. Judge will permit jurors to take notes.

10:01 a.m. Judge instructs the jury that they will decide the degree of murder. It’s the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ position that the murder is in the first degree and that Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible for the murders. It’s the defense’s position that Lindsay Clancy was insane at the time and could not conform her behavior to the bounds of the law.

9:48 a.m. Jury is seated. Judge queries the jury about their exposure to publicity and whether they can remain impartial. Jurors agree they can remain impartial. The judge is satisfied they have followed his instructions. The clerk swears in jury members.

9:44 a.m. Sidebar broke up. We’re waiting for the jury to be seated.

9:30 a.m. Court is in session. Judge William F. Sullivan takes the bench and summons the attorneys to the sidebar.

9:28 a.m. court deputy just wheeled Lindsay Clancy into the courtroom next to her attorney. She’s wearing a pink top. Still waiting for judge and jury.

9:09 a.m. It’s a packed courtroom with all available seats occupied by media and members of the public.

9:04 a.m. Media and public let into the courtroom. Judge ruling on Patrick Clancy’s motion – he has granted his request to bar the dissemination of the 911 call and the children’s autopsy photos. Only those in the courtroom will be able to hear the 911 call and see the autopsy photos.

8:55 a.m. A long line of people to get into the courtroom this morning for opening statements. Lots of reporters here and members of the public too. Waiting to get into the courtroom. Here is a video showing the line: