LIVE UPDATES: Commonwealth rests on Day 21 after rebuttal witnesss testifies that Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible for the strangling deaths of her children

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is underway in Massachusetts. The 36-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 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.

3:40 p.m. Closing Arguments – Defense says it will take about 30 minutes, the Prosecution will take about an hour.

3:36 p.m. Judge will give manslaughter instruction will not give the “Bowden instruction” Bowden (originating from Commonwealth v. Bowden) is a legal principle allowing the defense to argue that lapses or omissions in a police investigation create a reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt. Judge will not give an instruction on voluntary intoxication.

3:19 p.m. Defense Reddington wants an instruction on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.

3:15 p.m. Prosecutor: We are objecting to involuntary manslaughter. No evidence of involuntary intoxication.

3:12 p.m. Prosecutor: We’re talking about mental status at the time of the event there is no evidence to support that there was intoxication to the point of debilitation. She was on medication but it was a low dose, there is no evidence that there is any debilitating effect on that day we ask that those instructions not be included.

3:11 p.m. Court is back in session.

1:28 p.m. Court resumes at 2:30 p.m. for charge conference.

1:16 p.m. Defense makes a motion for a directed verdict. Motion denied.

1:14 p.m. Judge tells the jury they will hear closings, the charge and will get the case for deliberations tomorrow.

1:12 p.m. COMMONWEALTH RESTS.

1:10 p.m. Emails were sent to the Musgroves and LC’s sister? And they did not respond. End of redirect.

1:08 p.m. Redirect: There were many texts between LC and her mother, and many texts in which she said she was doing better yes. Are you aware that what Dr.Resnick teaches is that a sign of malingering is automatically obeying a voice? objection sidebar.

1:02 p.m. Contd Redirect: About breast feeding stop, why do you say timing matters. Those significant hormone changes are tied to breastfeeding changes, timing is important at what point did breastfeeding stop. With the def, she stopped in October. In January would you expect to see those changes? no. Patrick’s conversation with LC took place before he called 911. Her statement was made when he immediately found her on the ground. On the 911 call she didn’t say any words. She could deteriorate over time. yes.

12:58 p.m. Summarize why you think Dr. Tufts treatment reasonable. I found her responsive to Clancy’s concerns. Do you recall that Women and Infants offered alternate programs. LC responded that she would discuss her options with her provider. Do you recall that according to the notes, she did not discuss those options. Correct. Regarding Aspire – it states Patient contacted support, she was told she did not meet the criteria because she did not have SI plan. When the def called they didn’t just hang up on her they gave her resources. correct.

12:54 p.m. Around Oct 21, LC was very concerned about insomnia. Tufts prescribed Ativan and Benadryl. LC was concerned about getting hooked, and that is a concern. Part of the process was to see if she could reduce the Ativan – Reddington objection – sidebar.

12:46 p.m. Redirect: In reviewing DR. Tufts treatment of the defendant did you have any issues or concerns about her approach? no. what were your thoughts? Possibly because Dr. Tufts was new she was more available. She saw her the day after her discharge, but did note that she was reluctant to prescribe because of other providers. She was reasonable in her prescriptions. LC was directed to take 25 mg., then increased it to 50 mg, and had the adverse reaction of insomnia. The various medications she tried was that reasonable? yes.

12:41 p.m. REDIRECT: Did you see anything in LC’s records that would require a blood test? no. You were asked about serious rash- how rare? 1 in 1000k. how do you counteract negative effect, medication start low dose – the potential for this serious rash is definitely decreased. It’s one of the most used mood stabilizer. Putting aside the reason about a rash, what about not telling the provider and don’t take it – provider isn’t effective. Did LC’s sleep get better? yes.

12:37 p.m. REDIRECT: Of all the things I do – what is most important is working with patients. The value of also being with students and having them learn from these patients will make them better doctors.

12:32 p.m. REDIRECT: Did you treat women with psychosis? yes. You mentioned 2 women with postpartum psychosis. How did they present? One was 18-year-old who delivered and did not want to breastfeed. In those days within a couple of days after taking this medication she had to kill her child, she wanted to kill herself. that’s how she was brought to our attention. After removing the medication, it resolved. The other female, mid-20s. She was given the medication – she was hyperreligious. She was given psychiatric medication and her symptoms resolved.

12:28 p.m. Would you agree that in fact Jan 24, LC made a calculated decision it was getting harder and harder to control she made the selfish choice to take Cora, Dawson, and Callan before taking her own life. She would seek a different doctor, she disengaged from doctors, she made a choice she didn’t want to try anymore, is this the evidence your opinion supports?
I think that statement minimizes what she was going through. End of cross.

12:25 p.m. When she said she heard a voice it was deep male voice – external. you thought that was legit? yes. Would you agree?/objection (sidebar)

12:20 p.m. is it your position that she was not being truthful about when she was the refrigerator? she was inconsistent. Did she tell you she was getting food out of the fridge for the kids. Yes.
The voice that LC told me about was external. Some auditory hallucinations can be internal. Hallucinations according to Resnick they have to originate from outside the head. From the article: “Voices are typically heard from inside the head. voices coming from outside the head are atypical.”

12:13 p.m. You’re talking about malingering? Yes. That would be a person finds it in their interest to lie to an investigating psychiatrist. yes. there are tests that you can administer to determine if a person is malingering? yes. there are certain tests that can be given to asses malingering. MMPI that was administered by Dr. Heilbrun. She had no scales at all with the exception of suicide. Yes. Dr. Resnick he examined LC, and one of the things he determined whether she was malingering, she was not lying at all. yes.

12:08 p.m. LC said she would like me to talk to them. She signed all the hippo forms to give access to her records, interviewed with Mack, Heilbrun. Did you establish a rapport? I think so. If there was any question that made her feel uncomfortable. she responded in a positive way.

12:01 p.m. You’re getting a lot information from Patrick? that aspect. was there a pill crusher, not aware, any residue? not that I’m aware of. Was there any residue? not that I saw, NO pill crusher, no indication of residue on the nightstand. Does it seem a person in a psychotic state would put drugs neatly in a drawer or scatter them throughout the room. Don’t know. Can a person be in a state of psychosis and misremember something? possible. did LC tell you that she slashed the screen, the screen wasn’t slashed. No. was she lying to you? no. One of the things that stood out to you, Lindsay betrayed her family by misleading her family. I said portrayed not betrayed — Portrayed and misled her family. yes. how? in text messages.

11:56 a.m. Did you hear her response to his question, “what did you do?” did you hear her respond to anything other than guttural grunts? no. Is it your testimony a person with those injuries that she would be able to have a conversation, based on the testimony of her husband. yes. Set aside the 911 call? Were you able to discern what she was saying? not from the 911 call. You told the jury his office door was closed? Patrick told me that. He went upstairs where the door was locked. there was blood on the doorknob? don’t recall. I know there was blood. there were drops on the mirror, nightstand. You looked at the photographs, One of the things that was of interest to you – was crushed up drugs. There was evidence of powder on the tumbler that Patrick told me about. Did they test the residue? not that I’m aware of.

11:54 a.m. Would you agree that because of the drop in hormones after breastfeeding, a woman would experience intrusive and impulsive thoughts and behavior that would affect a woman’s ability to conform her behavior?

11:13 a.m. What is the physical effect on a woman’s body after she stops breastfeeding? she stopped breastfeeding, its primary effects on the neurotransmitters on the brain. It’s about the organic matter of the brain, when a woman is pregnant, there are hormones. The hormones change. it can be quite impactful? yes. Would you agree one of the metabolites of progesterone, enhances activity of the neuron in the brains? it can yes. what is the metabolite? I can’t tell you. Immediately after a woman has a baby, the progesterone drops precipitously> objection/yes.

11:07 a.m. When did she call aspire to say she had thoughts of killing herself. I can’t recall. she did call them twice? She spoke to them about suicide ideation. Now she’s on the verge of killing herself and her health providers tell her to call aspire, she said she was going to kill herself and what did Aspire do? they redirected her to her provider. they did not make a decision to hospitalize her. Did they do anything? (pause) I know they were not responsive to her suicidality. She did not have a plan. How do you know that? I recall it was referred to. Why would she call them again, if she didn’t get help. She wanted help. What kind of a devastating effect does that have? Objection/it would have a serious effect. After being discharged, and reaching out to Aspire, one of the doctors had a concern about the medication, that’s one of the reasons they could not treat her, right? yes. These medications include SSRI (prozac and zoloft).

11:02 a.m. In November and December she was reaching out for help, was she telling people around her she was having dark thoughts of suicide. I’m not aware. If she said it to a professional is it your opinion they should ask if these are voices–whether or not these are thoughts? Certainly exploring that is important. Should a physician just ask do you have a plan and if you say ‘no’ you’re ok. I was not aware that was the only question.

10:56 a.m. In December it was recommended she go to Women’s and Health, 20th of December her husband dropped her off. On that day she was turned away. I don’t know if she was turned away. Did they help her? They recommended other programs. she was there for postpartum depression. Women and Infants discharged her, the reason included – ruling out prescriptions. She went back to Tufts. She followed the advice of her doctors, she wasn’t avoiding health care professionals? no. she continued to express concern about her brain being damaged.yes.

10:49 a.m. The summer for LC was very good, first 12 weeks was quite good. Anxiety started and that brought her to Tufts, more medications prescribed. In October -did you see this text to her mother. Yes. she wasn’t doing well in October, correct. And she continued to see Tufts, and Jallotta. Would you agree with me that LC wasn’t running around doctor shopping or obtaining drugs to get high? It would have been better for her is she stuck with the plan. Tufts, Paul and Jollatta, up to that point bringing us into November, she was not going out to score drugs. She went online and found dr. Tufts, is she an expert? Depends on the training she received.

10:46 a..m. Is it reasonable to tell someone on an SSRI such as Zoloft and prozac stop it and put you on something else. in the case of Zoloft – it was reasonable to stop it. And prescribe new drugs? insomnia was a real problem. LC was suffering serious insomnia. right. When Tufts went from 25 mg to 50 mg, she went 48 hours straight. correct. sleep deprivation used as a torture. it can be. a person suffering from insomnia can lead to psychosis. It’s possible.

10:42 a.m. You testified that she stopped the lomatragine because it could cause a fatal rash. It can be fatal yes. Risks in medication is something every physician should consider. If you have a young woman who is a nurse who worked at a prestigious hospital who would google effects of drugs, is it an unreasonable decision for her to say I don’t want to take that drug? She made that decision. In your opinion is it a reasonable decision? The benefits of that drug are profound and millions of Americans take it. Is it unreasonable for her to say I don’t want to take it.

10:37 a.m. Contd direct: I do recall there are a number of scores within her medical record. What were her highest score 23 out of 30, over 15 is concerning. Is it reasonable for a doctor treating a woman medicated and with postpartum depression its helpful? it can be. Is that a step that they should be taken. It can be appropriate. An enzyme test? not aware that an enzyme test is typical. Expensive – couple of grand? don’t know. Any other tests? Sometimes it’s helpful to check thyroid function. That can be a cause of a psychiatric symptoms? did they do a thyroid test? no.

10:30 a.m. Postpartum depression can turn into postpartum psychosis on a dime? I’m aware. When a woman is dealing with these symptoms and goes to a doctor. Is it important to take a blood test? it can be. Based on the history and presenting symptoms. Is it a fair statement that you should take a blood test of the person? It depends on the circumstances and medications like balproate. Are there other tests that can be administered for postpartum depression? There’s endburgh scale. It’s a self report given by nurses. It’s a scale that is a useful tool to determine the level of depression expressed. right. It’s 1 to 30 scale.

10:23 a.m. Reddington Q: Have you treated women suffering from postpartum psychosis. Ran a group in a state hospital in the 1980’s. Any knowledge or interest in postpartum psychosis. Have you treated any woman suffering from postpartum depression? What would you do? full assessment and make determinations about therapy and the like. What would the symptoms be? Around birth or after birth the DSM has a 4 week period, others expand it for a year. Symptoms are similar to regular depression. You can have suicidality, guilt, changes in appetite, weight concentration, physical activity. problems with sleep. These symptoms come in postpartum period. Are you aware of the number of women who commit suicide during their postpartum? don’t have a figure. any clue? no.

10:13 a.m. Agrees he has not written any articles on filicide, agrees that Dr. Resnick is well known for his work on filicide, and auditory hallucinations. Reddington notes that Resnick has written a peer-reviewed article on the subject and wants to move it into evidence.

10:06 a.m. On cross Reddington suggests the forensic psychiatrist tailors his opinion to the organization who has hired him, in this case it’s the District Attorney’s Office. Reddington also suggests the witness’ experience is concentrated in the area of law enforcement.

9:55 a.m. CROSS by Defense Reddington: You conducted your examination of LC by zoom. When did DA reach out, first informed of the case in January 26. The final contract was not completed until April. Finished his evaluation of LC on June 4, 2026- more than 3 years after the event.

9:54 a.m. A: Was she criminally responsible? It’s my opinion she was criminally responsible. End of direct.

9:50 a.m. WAs she able to conform her behavior to the requirements of the law? She took her child to the pediatrician, she was able to drive and conform her behavior to what was expected of her. She played with them, helped them with a snowman, fixing lunch, the activities of that day were controlled. Throughout the day she was methodical, controlled and organized there was a lot to do in killing her children and then herself. When she received a phone call she did not report she was distressed, having hallucinations, by calling her husband back and reassuring him that helped guarantee he would continue on the errands. Had she not called him back he may have been concerned enough to return home. The call shows an awareness and being able to conform her behavior.

9:47 a.m. Contd. direct of Dr. Saathoff: I did not see delusions about her children, she did not say there was anything wrong with them – I don’t recall she thought of her children in a delusional way. The phone call at 5;34 pm. was significant. Mr. Clancy called his wife from CVS, she did not answer, she had the presence of mind to do that and to conceal from him what was going on. Locking the door, she was aware of time and the limited amount of time, would have prevented her husband from entering to see what would happen.
On arrival, when he asked her what happened, she did not confess, “I tried to kill myself.” She did not report auditory hallucination. She expected to die, by the time PC arrived she would have been successuful in taking her life.

9:41 a.m. On Jan 24, 23 My opinion is she did have the capacity to appreciate right from wrong. LC had just met with Dr. Tufts the day before. She denied suicidal ideation and harm to others. Ongoing conversation about future treatments that could be employed to help her. The planning involved prior to the strangling of her children was significant. Searches for distance of 3V, CVS, all done prior – the prepatory planning was significant. The avoidance of witnesses. A witness can intervene. This was done without any witness present, the children were all strangled in the basement. The door to his office was closed when he arrived. Timing was significant. Window of time that LC was aware of a window of time that this could happen. The issue of time, husband returning, rather than being a solution was a problem. To accomplish all of this while PC was gone really showed an awareness of time. Weapons used, these were exercise bands, they were placed there, that’s where they kept the exercise bands the use of weapons and that they were nearby was significant as to the planning.

9:38 a.m. What does overmedicated mean to you? someone were to prescribe medication that is beyond the limit that can safely be prescribed. It’s possible to be toxic on lithium. 1200 mg of lithium twice day, the level is toxic, that’s an example of overmedication. Did you see evidence of toxic levels of medication? There were prescriptions there was a rapid increase of higher dose of sequel. she was prescribed 400 mg, of sequel but she didn’t end up taking that. Did you see any amount that was overmedication? no.

9:31 a.m. Q: What is your opinion? A bipolar 2 diagnosis made the most sense. I would be very wary of treating her with SSRI. Is there a difference between overmedication and having an adverse side effect. Adverse effects like allergic reaction can be very serious. Did you see any evidence of adverse effects from the medication. Insomnia was concerning. Zoloft precipitated insomnia, that was an adverse effect. it requires one to stop the medication. Reviewing September to December 22, was LC overmedicated? (pause) She experienced significant side effects from her medications. Nurse Paul prescribed something but she stopped that. Serqoquel at high doses can cause some significant side effects, at lower doses it can treat insomnia. higher doses it could have significant effect. LC in December 2022, chose to continue on seroquel and valium. Jollotta suggested a medication that she is on now. It’s a challenge – the combination at that time Dec. 7 it was helping her sleep.

9:29 a.m. Command hallucinations don’t automatically compel someone to follow the voice, particularly if a command is so serious and so against someone’s values. It’s common for people to engage behaviors to avoid doing what command voices say. is it possible for them to conform their behavior to the law.Yes. If someone is commanding and a police officer is nearby, a person can choose not to engage in the behavior because of the consequences.

9:27 a.m. Lindsay’s intrusive thoughts, taking Ativan helped with that? yes. Ativan is a medication that is very helpful for treating anxiety, help them sleep it was helpful to Miss Clancy, when she had the intrusive thoughts, taking the Ativan resolved those thoughts. It’s not anti-psychotic, not meant to treat psychosis, it makes them feel calm but it does not treat psychosis. Did it convince you it was internal and not an external voice? yes. With these intrusive thoughts, can you still tell right from wrong. yes.

9:22 a.m. We have a natural will to live and that’s the most difficult to overcome. Do you have any conclusions? Certainly the documentation from the mental health records, demonstrates the isolation she felt, the sense she was having a problem that was difficult for her to understand. The suicidal feelings and the thoughts of killing her children she didn’t share. The burden of having to go back to work, time she was supposed to return kept being extended. she did not feel well enough to go to work and function. One of the stressors was financial. To believe her brain was damaged, not able to do what she loved, not in a position to help support the family was a burden. You can have that sense of aloneness, burdensomeness, if you don’t have the capability – does not mean you’re not suicidal. Her suicide attempt were very very serious, which is why she used 3 different methods. Locking the door, and not being dressed for the cold this attempt was very very serious.

9:18 a.m. Yesterday when we left off – Q: Did the defendant tell you the voice she heard told her where and how to kill the children? no. How and where to kill herself? no. Is that significant? In the small amount of time she had in the home without her husband. To do this quickly, methodically, having no instructions and being able to execute those decisions, getting a phone call, the phone call was not expected, that is surprising she was able to accomplish all of this without any direction or plan. It indicated she had control.

9:13 a.m. Judge tells jurors that they’ll be excused after the Commonwealth’s last witness, he’ll have a discussion with the attorneys and expects closings and the jury charge tomorrow.

9:12 a.m. Court is in session. Judge greets the attorneys and defendant. Lindsay Clancy responds, “Good morning your honor.” Attorneys go to sidebar.