Lindsay Clancy appears in court for first time and asks judge to split trial

lindsay clancy, the 35-year-old Duxbury mother charged in the deaths of her three young children in January 2023, was brought to Plymouth Superior Court in person Friday as her defense asked a judge to split the murder trial into two parts.

Lindsay Clancy appears in court in person

Clancy was transported from Tewksbury State Hospital and wheeled into court by officers for the hearing before Judge William Sullivan. The hearing was the first time she had been physically present in a courtroom for the entire case; she had previously attended hearings by videoconference from her bed at Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been committed since October 2023. Wearing all black and a silver cross necklace, she remained mostly silent and primarily stared ahead, briefly exchanging a "good afternoon" with the judge.

Bifurcation request would separate guilt and insanity phases

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked the judge to bifurcate the proceedings so the first phase would determine whether the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy was guilty, and a second phase would address whether she was legally insane at the time of the killings. Reddington confirmed early in the case he will be pursuing an insanity defense and has said Clancy was emotionally unstable and suffering from postpartum depression at the time.

Details of the alleged killings and injuries

Prosecutors allege Clancy deliberately strangled her three children with exercise bands. The children were 8-month-old Callan, 3-year-old Dawson, and 5-year-old Cora at the time. The children’s father found them in the basement after he had gone to pick up a prescription and dinner. Authorities say Clancy also attempted to stab herself and jumped from a second-floor bedroom window of the family home on Summer Street in Duxbury on the night of Jan. 24, 2023. She survived but was left paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair; other court statements describe her condition as rendering her paraplegic.

Courtroom scene, medical history and family reaction

Reddington commended the sheriff’s department, his staff, and Tewksbury medical staff who, he said, "melded together incredibly and have done just a marvelous job" caring for and transporting Clancy and said he wants her to appear in person moving forward if possible. Court documents say Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, had been taking medications including antidepressants, anxiety-targeting benzodiazepine drugs, and the antipsychotic drug Seroquel at least as far back as the September before the deaths.

Clancy’s parents have been traveling from Connecticut to support her. Mike Musgrove said, "We love our daughter very much, and we’re here to support her in any way we possibly can, " and Paula Musgrove said, "She’s a loving mother, she always has been. " 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.

Pretrial schedule and disputed testing procedures

The brief hearing focused on scheduling. The parties set oral arguments on outstanding issues, including the bifurcation motion, for March 2; a court-ordered mental evaluation by an expert chosen by prosecutors for April 10; and a further motions hearing on June 18. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said she has no problem with videotaping the mental evaluation but would object to taping Clancy filling out forms because of the "proprietary rights" of the company providing the test. Reddington replied, "I would suggest that we file that under 'W' for 'Who cares?'" and said he would like to confer with his own experts before pressing the issue.

Charges, plea and next milestones

Clancy is charged with three counts of murder and two counts of strangulation and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The judge is considering the bifurcation motion; the next hearing is March 2 for oral arguments. The defense previously said Clancy was over-medicated and suffering severe postpartum depression at the time. The trial was pushed back multiple times and is now set to begin on July 20, with the court calendar also listing the April 10 evaluation and the June 18 motions hearing ahead of that date.