Lindsay Clancy, mother accused of killing kids, to face charges Tuesday

By WCVB Staff

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    DUXBURY, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury, Massachusetts mother accused in connection with the deaths of her three children, is set to face charges Tuesday.

Clancy is scheduled to be arraigned virtually from her hospital bed, where she remains hospitalized as she is treated for injuries suffered when she jumped from a window of her Duxbury home last month. A funeral was held for the three children on Friday.

Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, said in court last week that his client was overmedicated at the time, and he plans to argue Clancy lacks any criminal responsibility.

Clancy will be examined by a forensic psychologist for evidence of a post-partum mood disorder.

Her husband, Patrick Clancy, had gone out for approximately 20 minutes to pick up medications and dinner, Reddington said. Patrick Clancy found his wife outside the home on Summer Street and called 911 at about 6:10 p.m. on Jan. 24.

First responders discovered the couple’s three children unconscious inside the couple’s home with obvious signs of trauma.

Two of the children, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, were pronounced dead at the hospital. The third child, an 8-month-old boy named Callan, was flown to Boston Children’s Hospital with traumatic injuries and died on Jan. 27.

Reddington asserted that his client was overmedicated and was taking a dozen medications at the time of the incident.

“This continued even up until the week before when her husband went to the doctor and asked her for help and said, ‘Please, you’re turning her into a zombie,'” he said.

He argued in court that an evaluation by a doctor of their choice, psychologist Dr. Paul Zeizel, would be protected by her constitutional rights and said the district attorney’s office had denied a previous request citing security rules.

Reddington said his client is under constant guard in the hospital and has also not been allowed contact with her parents.

“She has had literally no contact with anyone other than her prior attorney and her medical staff,” Reddington said.

He also disputed a previous statement from the Duxbury police chief, which said Lindsay Clancy was recovering physically. Reddington called this a “blatant untruth” and said she is in a hospital bed, unable to move.

“She can move,” an attorney for the DA’s office argued. “She is not paralyzed. She can move her legs. She can move her arms. She has been writing and being able to verbally communicate.”

Citing safety concerns and limited security in the hospital setting, the prosecutor asked that if Lindsay Clancy were allowed access to the psychologist, the doctor be required to undergo a search prior to entering the room and that someone else be present during the evaluation.

The judge overseeing Friday’s hearing granted Reddington’s motion for a psychological evaluation and determined that sheriff’s deputies already guarding Lindsay Clancy will be allowed to watch, but not hear, the evaluation. The parties also agreed that Lindsay Clancy will be allowed to speak to her parents.

Lindsay Clancy is facing two counts of murder and three counts each of strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Upgraded charges are expected after the death of Callan.

After Friday’s hearing, Reddington told NewsCenter 5 he plans to argue that Lindsay Clancy lacks criminal responsibility because she was involuntarily intoxicated.

“The drugs that she was given, one on top of another, for an extended period of time, obviously not having any helpful effect,” he said.

“I like to think of this case as being justice for Lindsay as well,” Reddington added.

Patrick Clancy made a statement last week through a post on an online fundraiser, his first public statement in the wake of the tragedy.

“A lot of people have said they can’t imagine and they’re right, there’s absolutely nothing that can prepare you. The shock and pain is excruciating and relentless,” Patrick Clancy wrote. “I’m constantly reminded of them and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them on repeat. Any parent knows, it’s impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them. The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I’m completely lost without them.”

“I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone — me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace,” he added.

In his statement, Patrick Clancy said that he will put all of his energy into healing and rediscovering his purpose, adding that “love always wins.”

“Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don’t know if the pain will ever go away, but I’ll do my best to carry on in your honor. Dada loves you so much and will always remember you,” Patrick Clancy wrote.

Authorities would not comment on whether any mental illness may have played a role in the homicides or if Lindsay Clancy had any mental health history.

A spokesperson for Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed to NewsCenter 5 that Lindsay Clancy worked as a nurse at the hospital.

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