A jury of 12 women and six men has been seated in the Lindsay Clancy trial in Plymouth Superior Court, and opening statements are set for Monday. Kevin Reddington represented Clancy at the Thursday hearing in PLYMOUTH, where Judge William F. Sulliva oversaw the final jury selection.
Plymouth Superior Court
The panel includes six alternates, putting the case on track for a six-week trial. Clancy, 35 years old, has pleaded not guilty to three first-degree murder charges. She admits she killed Cora, Dawson, and Callan, and says she was in the throes of severe postpartum mental illness.
Patrick Clancy Monday
Patrick Clancy is expected to be the first witness called Monday. He has asked to prevent public release of autopsy photos of his children and a recording of his 911 call, while prosecutors plan to play the call after he found his injured wife and then his children's bodies in the basement.
Jennifer Sprague Hearing
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague told the court that Clancy premeditated the murders. Reddington pushed back, saying, "Even though we are in court, let’s talk a little about humanity, let’s talk about how we should try this case," and later, "What I can’t fathom is the district attorney’s intent to put a circus in front of this jury that is calculated to just inflame the passions of the jury."
Sprague responded with the word "whitewash," saying, "The Commonwealth did not choose the number of victims, the defendant did," and, "So if he would like me to not talk about one of the children... tell me which one of these children don’t matter," as the sides clashed over how much graphic evidence jurors should hear. Monday now puts that dispute in front of the seated jury, with the judge’s limits on witnesses and exhibits likely to shape how the trial is presented from the start.
