Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial Over Deaths of 3 Kids Ends in a Mistrial

Patrick Clancy Says Lindsay Clancy Told Him She Thought About Suicide and Harming Their Kids

Lindsay Clancy's now-ex-husband was the first witness called to testify during her murder trial, which began July 27 in Plymouth Superior Court. 

The 35-year-old former nurse has not denied killing daughter Cora, 5, and sons Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, but has pleaded not guilty of murder, the defense attributing her actions to postpartum psychosis.

Patrick Clancy testified that Lindsay struggled with her mental health after giving birth to Callan in May 2023, according to CNN.

She also sought treatment after Dawson was born in 2019, he said, "but it didn’t last very long.”

Lindsay's "big spiral," as he referred to it, occurred in December 2023 after she started taking a new medication, one of several she'd been prescribed since September, Patrick said. He testified that Lindsay told him she had "intrusive thoughts" about harming their children and herself.

He didn't worry about the kids' safety, he said, because she didn't seem to have "any intention” of actually hurting them.

On Dec. 31, Patrick said, Lindsay went to the E.R. at Massachusetts General Hospital "because she was still talking about thoughts of suicide. She was admitted to an affiliated psychiatric facility, and when she was discharged Jan. 5 she seemed "much better."

Patrick Clancy Describes Last Time He Saw Their Children Alive

On Jan. 24, 2023, Lindsay "was having one of her best days," Patrick testified, per CNN, recalling that his then-wife built a snowman in the yard.

"She was playing with the kids," he said, "and she seemed in a good mood."

That morning she had taken Cora to a doctor's appointment and he had texted her a picture of Dawson after he "dressed himself completely for the first time."

Patrick told the court he had felt "hopeful" since his wife's release from the hospital. “Her mood seemed better,” he said. "She was more active, and she was able...to partake in more things.”

Before he left to pick up dinner and medication for Cora, he said he kissed one of the kids on the head and told them he'd "be right back."

Prosecutors allege Lindsay sent Patrick on errands to get him out of the house on purpose. Then, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham said in her opening statement, she strangled the children with exercise bands "deliberately and meticulously."

Patrick testified July 29 that no one told him he shouldn't leave Linday alone with their kids, telling the court, "I didn't know what psychosis was until after this happened."

What Patrick Clancy Told 911, Cops After Finding His Children Unresponsive

Lindsay Clancy Wrote in Her Diary That She Wanted Help

Lindsay wrote about her struggles, including that she felt "incredibly sad and guilty" about not breastfeeding Callan, according to journal excerpts read to jurors Aug. 5.

"I want help," she wrote in an entry read by her attorney. "I want to be well."

In another, she said, "I have crazy brain fog. I feel like I can't make a plan. I live moment to moment waiting for the next nap time. I'm terrified of Cal getting overtired now because I feel can't help him."

Toxicologist Details Medication Found in Lindsay Clancy's System

When Lindsay was hospitalized after killing her children and allegedly tried to take her own life, she tested positive for the antidepressant mirtazapine, the mood stabilizer lamotrigine, the antidepressant trazodone and quetiapine, a drug used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, forensic toxicologist Justin Brower testified Aug. 5.

He said, per The Guardian, that his lab found that only the level of quetiapine in her blood was slightly elevated, but it wasn't at a "toxic" or "suicidal concentration." He further described the levels in her blood as "not consistent" with someone who takes a bunch of pills before trying to end her life. 

Under defense cross-examination, Brower also said that toxicology results "don’t tell the entire story."

Lindsay's attorney Kevin Reddington said in his July 28 opening statement that she has bipolar disorder and medication worsened her condition.

On the day she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan, Reddington said, she heard a voice telling her, "'This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself.'"

Family Nanny Calls Lindsay Clancy a "Wonderful Mom"

The Clancy family's nanny Elaine Rossi testified Aug. 5 that she had no concerns about Lindsay's fitness as a mother.

“I observed a wonderful mom who loved her kids," Rossi said. "She was concerned about their safety, and Callan eating and sleeping. She was a wonderful mother.”

Lindsay Clancy Wasn't Planning to Return to Work, According to Former Colleague

Andrea Hennigan, who previously worked with the defendant at Massachusetts General, testified Aug. 6 that Lindsay told her at lunch after Callan was born that she didn't plan to go back to work as a labor-and-delivery nurse because she "was not in a mental state to take care of patients.”

“She talked about insomnia and not feeling herself,” Hennigan said, per the AP. “I believe she might have used the words brain fog or something like that.”

Lindsay texted her in January 2023, Hennigan said, that she was experiencing "bad or negative side effects" from medication.

Lindsay Clancy Sobs as Prosecution Shows Autopsy Photos, Defense Accuses Prosecutors of "Hot Mic" Moment

The judge called for a brief morning recess Aug. 6 after Lindsay broke down in court while jurors viewed autopsy photos from the examination of 8-month-old Callan's body, according to the Patriot Ledger.

When they returned from their morning break the next day, Reddington told Judge Williams Sullivan he had an issue to raise.

Asked what he had to share, per the Ledger, the lawyer replied, "I want to tell you that [a prosecutor] got picked up on a hot mic saying 'shut her up' during the playing of their autopsy."

“This is not like Handmaid’s Tale," Reddington added. "You can’t tape her mouth shut."

Prosecution lawyers said in response that they reviewed footage of the moment in question and what appeared to have been said was, 'Shut it off,' indicating they should remove the autopsy photos from the screen.

Lindsay Clancy's Final Texts to Husband Patrick Revealed

Lindsay's final text exchange with Patrick before, as he testified, he came home and found her lying in the yard and their children in the basement, appeared to be about dinner plans.

“Any chance you want to do take out from ThreeV,” she sent him at 4:53 p.m. on the evening of January 24, 2023, according to messages read in court Aug. 14 by prosecution witness State Trooper Timothy Chiappini, who analyzed Lindsay's cell phone. “I didn’t cook anything. It’s been a long day.”

Patrick replied, "Yeah," and she wrote back, "Okie dokie, check the menu when you can.”

Patrick then asked if Callan was up from his nap yet, and she replied, "It was just a short nap."

Also per the texts read in court, Lindsay said at 5:07 p.m. that she'd have a Mediterranean Power Bowl, while Patrick went with "scallops and pork belly risotto" a minute later.

Lindsay Clancy's Search History and Apple Watch Readings Are Shared

Called to the stand on Aug. 17 by the prosecution, digital forensics expert Ian Whiffin testified that Lindsay made several online searches about various medications, including "how quickly does wellbutrin work for depression" and "ketamine for suicidal ideation" in the final days before her children were killed.

She also made searches related to postpartum psychosis five days before their Jan. 24 deaths. And on that day, she looked up "kids miralax" and "CVS pharmacy". 

Whiffin also spoke on the data recorded by Lindsay's iPhone Apple Health app and her Apple Watch, that showed she had climbed two flights of stairs at 5:03 and 5:33 p.m. 

The Jury Was Suddenly Excused Due to "Unforeseen Circumstance"

Court was decidedly not in session in the later hours of Aug. 19 when Judge William Sullivan suddenly dismissed the 18 jurors due to what he called an "unforeseen circumstance." 

Though he did not provide further details, Sullivan told the jury, per ABC News, "This is not something we saw coming, but you're not to speculate about what it is. You're not to hold it against either side. It's just something that we have to deal with."

E! News has reached out to Plymouth Superior Court for comment but has not heard back.