The Duxbury woman accused of killing her three children appeared in court as the start of her trial approaches.
Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury, Massachusetts, woman accused of killing her kids in 2023, appeared in court Thursday, with the judge approving the prosecution’s motion to have a site view of the home where the incident occurred as part of next month’s trial.
Clancy, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges brought by the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office over the 2023 deaths of her children: 5-year-old Cora Clancy, 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, and 8-month-old Callan Clancy.
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A motions hearing was held 2 p.m. Thursday in Plymouth Superior Court, and Clancy attended in person. Most of her court appearances thus far have been by video conference, as she is confined to a wheelchair and requires special transportation accomodations.
Prosecutors say Clancy killed her three children on Jan. 24, 2023, by strangling them with exercise bands after sending her husband to get takeout food from a far away restaurant. Following the attacks, officials allege Clancy cut her wrists and neck before jumping from a second-story window in an attempt to end her own life.
The incident left her paralyzed from the sternum down, according to her attorney. She has been undergoing mental health treatment at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she is under constant supervision.
At Thursday’s hearing, the judge granted the prosecution’s motion to conduct a site visit of the Duxbury home where the incident occurred, along with a CVS in Kingston and ThreeV restaurant in Plymouth, two places Clancy’s husband visited while the children were being killed.
The current homeowner, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, objected to the site view, saying it would be disruptive. But prosecutors said it’s important for jurors to see the house in person, including the distance from the ground to the window that Clancy jumped from.
“Seeing something in person is different than video or photos,” Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said.
Defense attorneys had no objection to the prosecution’s motion, and ultimately the judge chose to grant it, meaning there will be a site view included as part of the trial.
The judge also heard arguments on the prosecution’s motion to play a 911 call made by Clancy’s husband as he returned home and found his children’s bodies. Patrick Clancy called 911 when he returned home from his errands.
According to prosecutors, Patrick Clancy was initially calling to get help for his wife. But during the course of the call he can be heard asking her about the whereabouts of the children.
Prosecutors say while the call is “emotional,” it also establishes details on how the children died, such as how the exercise bands were looped around the children’s necks, which are important to the case.
Kevin Reddington, Clancy’s attorney, said the 911 call is horrific, but legally he has no basis to object.
The judge issued no ruling on Tthe motion Thursday, saying he wants to listen to the 911 call before deciding whether all or just a portion of it should be allowed to be played during the trial.
Another prosecution motion granted by the judge Thursday was to sequester witnesses, although he made an exception for Clancy’s parents and her sister, who will be allowed to attend the trial even if they are being called as witnesses.
Prosecutors also wanted to make sure that family members and friends wouldn’t be able to testify about Clancy’s psychiatric state. The judge granted that motion as well, but said witnesses will be able to testify about Clancy’s demeanor, whether they thought she was depressed and other general observations.
Barring any delays, Clancy’s trial is set to begin on July 20, with a final pretrial hearing set for July 13. Over 200 names are included on the prosecution and defense witness lists for the trial, but many of those people are not expected to testify. Prosecutors said they expect the trial to last 4-6 weeks, while Reddington said he thinks it will be more like 4-5 weeks.
Clancy’s legal team filed a notice in December saying they plan to pursue an insanity defense, and Clancy filed a malpractice lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court in February against several of her medical providers, alleging they failed to diagnose her bipolar disorder and subjected her to a “disorganized, uncoordinated course of polypharmacy” that resulted in a psychotic break.
If Clancy were found mentally incompetent, she would not go to prison, but she could be committed to a mental health facility.
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