Lindsay Clancy appeared in court Thursday in Plymouth Superior Court for a pretrial hearing in the case over the deaths of her three children. Judge William F. Sullivan allowed prosecutors to show jurors autopsy photos, a ruling that shapes what evidence may reach the jury before the July 20 murder trial.
The judge granted the motion regarding the autopsy images subject to the specific photographs. He also took the request to play Patrick Clancy’s 911 audio under advisement, leaving that evidentiary issue open for the next hearing on July 13.
William F. Sullivan ruling
Clancy, 35, appeared in a wheelchair. She has pleaded not guilty to three counts each of murder and strangulation or suffocation in the deaths of Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said Patrick Clancy called 911 when he found Lindsay Clancy in the backyard on the ground. Sprague said dispatch asked about her injuries and Patrick Clancy said she had cuts on her wrists and neck.
Court papers say he later screamed, “She killed the kids!” when he discovered the children in the cellar. Sprague also described the 911 call in court as including Patrick Clancy saying, “they’re not bleeding, I don’t need to do that.”
Kevin J. Reddington defense
Defense lawyer Kevin J. Reddington said he will assert an insanity defense at trial. He has said Clancy was overmedicated on 13 different drugs and that the regimen led to homicidal ideation and suicidal ideation.
Authorities say the children were killed with exercise bands on Jan. 24, 2023, after Clancy sent Patrick Clancy to get takeout for the family. Authorities also say she cut her wrists and neck and leapt from a second-story window in a failed attempt to end her own life.
She remains held at Tewksbury Hospital and continues to receive treatment. The hearing on July 13 will be the last scheduled court date before the July 20 trial start in Plymouth Superior Court, when jurors may begin hearing the evidence the judge has now started to sort through.
