PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Testimony in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy is set to resume Friday morning in Plymouth Superior Court, with the defense expected to call its final witness before resting its case.
Clancy, of Duxbury, is charged with three counts of murder in the January 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy.
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Dr. Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychologist, is expected to take the stand for the defense. His testimony is anticipated to support the defense’s claim that Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis and therefore was not criminally responsible for the killings of her three children.
After the defense concludes, prosecutors are expected to begin calling rebuttal witnesses to challenge the defense’s claims. It remains unclear how many rebuttal witnesses the Commonwealth plans to present.
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What happened in court on Thursday?
Jurors were sent home early Thursday after hearing from a hospital chaplain who has met with Clancy more than 200 times since the deaths of her kids in January 2023.
Sheila Cavanaugh, a chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, testified that Clancy told her she heard a voice commanding her to kill her children and warning that neither she nor the children would be safe if she refused.
“And the voice, according to Lindsay, told her that if she didn’t follow the command, neither she nor her children would be safe,” Cavanaugh testified.
However, prosecutors challenged that testimony during cross-examination, pointing out that Cavanaugh never documented those claims in her notes from meetings with Clancy.
The testimony became a key point of contention as prosecutors questioned why no references to the alleged voice appeared in records detailing years of interactions with Clancy.
Cavanaugh also testified that after a breathing tube was removed from Lindsay’s mouth, she spoke about her children.
“She said to me, as I held her hand to comfort her. I am so glad my children are safe,” Cavanaugh testified. “I said, ‘Lindsay, your children are safe. They are safe in heaven with God.’ And I held her hand throughout that conversation, and we prayed for them.”
What will appear on the jury’s verdict slip?
Following Thursday’s testimony, the judge held a conference with attorneys to discuss the charges that could ultimately appear on the jury’s verdict slip. First-degree and second-degree murder charges were both discussed.
Defense attorneys are also pushing to include involuntary manslaughter as a possible verdict option, a move prosecutors oppose.
Court filings and testimony throughout the trial have centered on whether Clancy was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the killings and whether she can be held criminally responsible for her actions.
Closing arguments in sight
With the defense expected to wrap up its case Friday, the trial is moving closer to closing arguments, which could begin as early as Monday or Tuesday.
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