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Lindsay Clancy appears in court for first in-person hearing since allegedly killing her children
Dressed in black and using a wheelchair, Clancy addressed the court only once during the brief proceedings.
Duxbury mother Lindsay Clancy sat stoically Friday as she appeared in court in-person for the first time since allegedly killing her three children in 2023.
Dressed in black and using a wheelchair, Clancy addressed the court only once during the brief hearing, exchanging a murmured “good afternoon” with Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan.
Lawyers on both sides hashed out some logistics in anticipation of Clancy’s July 20 murder trial, discussing pending motions, the status of discovery, and prosecution experts’ upcoming evaluation of Clancy. The defendant herself was unexpressive throughout the hearing and mostly stared straight ahead.
Clancy, 35, faces three counts each of murder and strangulation in the deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. Prosecutors say she strangled her three children at home in Duxbury on Jan. 24, 2023, then tried unsuccessfully to kill herself, leaving her paralyzed.
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Clancy’s defense team has argued she was heavily medicated and battling postpartum mental illness following the birth of her third child. In a civil lawsuit filed last month, Clancy accused her mental health care providers of failing to diagnose her bipolar disorder and prescribing a revolving door of pharmaceuticals that triggered a psychotic break.
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According to the complaint, Clancy had been experiencing auditory hallucinations for weeks leading up to the killings. When her husband left to pick up dinner on Jan. 24, she claims a commanding voice told her, “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. YOU HAVE TO KILL THE KIDS SO YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF.”
In a dissociative “dream-like state,” Clancy allegedly strangled her children while telling them, “Go to God, baby.”
Clancy, who remains committed at the state-run Tewksbury Hospital, appeared at her previous court hearings remotely.
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Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, has indicated she plans to pursue an insanity defense. In a motion filed Thursday, he requested a bifurcated trial that would split the July proceedings into two separate phases. The first would focus on whether prosecutors are able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy is guilty, and to what degree. The second phase would consider whether prosecutors can prove Clancy was in her right mind at the time of the killings.
Sullivan will take up the request March 2.
Clancy’s parents joined Reddington as he spoke to reporters outside the courthouse following the hearing.
“She’s a loving mother. She always has been,” said Clancy’s mother, Paula Musgrove, per video from MassLive. “I can’t say anymore.”
Clancy’s father, Mike Musgrove, added: “We love our daughter very much, and we’re here just to support her any way we possibly can. That’s it.”
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