Lindsay Clancy’s bid to split her murder trial could reshape when mental-health evidence is heard

Lindsay Clancy appeared in court in person for the first time as her defense asked a judge to divide the upcoming murder trial into two phases. That bifurcation request changes when the jury would hear mental-health evidence and sets a new procedural map: guilt first, sanity second. The schedule-setting hearing also produced dates for oral argument, a mental evaluation and follow-up motions ahead of a July trial date.

How Lindsay Clancy’s bifurcation bid changes the courtroom sequence

The defense is asking the court to hold a two-stage trial (bifurcation): the first phase would determine whether the government has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy is guilty; the second phase would decide whether she was legally insane at the time of the alleged killings. The commonwealth would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was not suffering from a mental disease or defect when the children died. Here’s the part that matters: separating those questions delays or limits when mental-health evidence is presented to the jury and could affect how jurors interpret facts about medication, diagnosis and behavior.

Courtroom appearance, health and transport details

Clancy, 35, was transported from Tewksbury State Hospital to Plymouth Superior Court and was wheeled into the courtroom by officers wearing all black and a silver cross on a necklace. Authorities say she had previously attended hearings video teleconferencing from her bed at Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been committed since October 2023. She remained largely silent during the hearing, primarily staring ahead and exchanging a single “good afternoon” with Judge William Sullivan. Prosecutors and defense counsel discussed logistics for in-person appearances; defense attorney Kevin Reddington said he wants his client to appear in person moving forward if possible and commended the sheriff’s department and medical staff for their care and transport.

Timeline: scheduled dates set at the hearing

• March 2 — oral arguments on outstanding issues, including the bifurcation motion.
• April 10 — a mental evaluation to be conducted by an expert chosen by prosecutors.
• June 18 — a further motions hearing.
• July — the murder trial was listed for July; another reference sets the trial to begin July 20 after prior postponements.

It is unclear in the provided context whether any additional calendar conflicts remain.

Charges, alleged facts and the defense narrative

Clancy is charged with three counts of murder and two counts of strangulation and has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege she deliberately strangled her three children with exercise bands in the basement of the family home on Summer Street in Duxbury on the night of Jan. 24, 2023. The children are identified as 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. The children’s father found them in the basement after he had gone to pick up a prescription and dinner. Authorities say Clancy attempted to stab herself and then leapt or jumped from a second-floor bedroom window; she survived but was rendered paraplegic and is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.

Defense counsel has said Clancy was emotionally unstable at the time of the deaths and confirmed an insanity defense will be pursued. Defense descriptions include claims that she was over-medicated and suffering severe postpartum depression. A related legal angle in the bifurcation motion references postpartum psychosis as a potential basis for the second phase.

Medical records, medication and workplace background

Court documents identify Clancy as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and state that she had been taking medications, including antidepressants, benzodiazepine drugs, and the antipsychotic Seroquel, at least as far back as the September before the deaths. An April 10 mental evaluation has been scheduled and prosecutors said they would not object to videotaping the evaluation itself but did object to videotaping Clancy while she fills out test forms because of proprietary rights claimed by the testing company. Reddington said he would consult his experts on that narrow question.

Family presence and procedural friction in court

Clancy’s parents traveled from Connecticut to support her; her father Mike Musgrove said they love their daughter, and her mother Paula Musgrove called her a loving mother. Clancy’s husband, Patrick Clancy, has previously said he “wasn’t married to a monster” and last month filed a wrongful death suit against two of unclear in the provided context. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague raised the proprietary-rights objection about videotaping test forms; Reddington pushed back with a quip about the point of that protection and noted he would discuss the issue with his experts before arguing the matter further.

• The bifurcation motion will determine the order evidence is presented and could change how jurors see mental-health material.
• Multiple scheduled hearings compress pretrial disputes into a tight calendar before the July trial window.
• Medical records and medication history will play a central role in the April 10 evaluation.
• Family statements and courtroom demeanor are part of the public record but do not resolve legal questions now.

The real question now is how the judge will balance timing and fairness: whether to keep mental-health evidence for a second phase or let jurors see it while weighing guilt. What’s easy to miss is that procedural choices like bifurcation can shift not just timing but the persuasive context in which the jury evaluates both facts and expert testimony.