Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother charged in the deaths of her three young children in January 2023, remains suicidal, her defense attorney told a Plymouth County court this month as lawyers argued over how she should be transported to hearings.
Transportation Request
At a pretrial hearing, defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked the judge to allow Clancy to be brought to and from court in a medical vehicle rather than the standard jail van, saying the arrangement is necessary to address ongoing mental-health needs and to reduce the risk she will harm herself. Prosecutors opposed the request, arguing that arriving in a medical vehicle could shape juror and public perceptions and make her appear more like a victim than an accused perpetrator.
Lindsay Marie Clancy Facebook Lindsay and Kevin Clancy with their son Dawson and daughter Cora
Defense Concerns
Reddington told the court that placing Clancy in custody transport could provoke a sense of helplessness and loss of control that might trigger mental-health responses. According to reporting in The Boston Globe, he added, "If she harms herself, it's on somebody, and it's not on me." Clancy has attended nearly all recent hearings remotely from Tewksbury Hospital.
Prosecution Position
Prosecutors contend Clancy carefully planned the killings and point to their account that, on Jan. 24, 2023, she asked her husband to pick up dinner, and when he returned about 25 minutes later he found their children strangled with exercise bands and his wife having jumped from a second-floor window.
Lindsay Marie Clancy Facebook Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy
Allegations and Defense Strategy
The defense has indicated it intends to pursue an insanity defense, arguing Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time of the alleged crimes. The defense also noted Clancy, a labor-and-delivery nurse, had been prescribed multiple medications in the months preceding the incident to treat postpartum depression. Prosecutors maintain the acts were deliberate and planned.
Victims and Case Status
The couple's children—Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and infant Callan, 8 months—were discovered strangled. The two oldest were pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital; the youngest died several days later. Kevin Clancy has publicly said he forgives his wife and has asked others to do the same.
Next Steps
The judge is expected to rule soon on whether Clancy will be transported to hearings in a medical vehicle or in standard custody transport. Clancy's criminal trial has been postponed from February and is currently scheduled to begin on July 20.
Reporting referenced from People and The Boston Globe; this article presents allegations and court arguments. Clancy has not been convicted of the charges and disputes may be raised at trial.
