PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A Plymouth Superior Court judge has ordered that key pieces of evidence expected to be presented during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial cannot be publicly disseminated by the media.
In an order issued Friday, Judge William F. Sullivan ruled that news organizations may not record, display, reproduce, distribute, or otherwise share the audio recording of Patrick Clancy’s initial 911 call from Jan. 24, 2023, or any autopsy photographs of the murdered Clancy children.
The ruling came after a request from Patrick Clancy, the father of the three children killed in the Duxbury tragedy, seeking to restrict public access to certain evidence presented during the trial.
Sullivan ruled that releasing the materials could create a “substantial likelihood of harm or other harmful consequences” for the Clancy family.
While the order restricts publication of the 911 call and autopsy photos, it does not prevent jurors, attorneys, witnesses, court workers, or Sullivan from viewing and using the evidence during the trial. Members of the public attending court proceedings will also be allowed to observe and listen to the evidence as it is presented in court.
The order further states that media organizations may report on the contents of the evidence but cannot distribute the actual recordings or photographs.
The evidence covered by the ruling will be impounded, and the restrictions will remain in effect unless a future court order lifts them.
Sullivan has not yet issued a written ruling on the prosecution’s request to call 18 first responders to testify about what they encountered inside the Clancy home. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has argued jurors should hear from only one first responder rather than multiple witnesses describing the same scene.
The Lindsay Clancy murder trial is expected to begin with opening statements on Monday in Plymouth Superior Court. Patrick Clancy is then expected to be the first witness called to the stand.
Lindsay Clancy is charged with three counts of murder in connection with the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter, Cora, her 3-year-old son, Dawson, and her 7-month-old baby, Callan. She has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege Clancy used exercise bands to kill her kids before jumping out of a second-floor window in a suicide attempt at her Summer Street home in Duxbury on the evening of Jan. 24, 2023.
Clancy survived the attempt but is now paralyzed.
Her attorneys have indicated they will pursue an insanity defense, arguing she suffered from postpartum psychosis, was heavily medicated, and was not criminally responsible for her actions.
Jury selection concluded Thursday with 18 jurors seated. The panel consists of 12 women and six men.
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