Lindsay Clancy trial (live updates): Defense to call last witness as supporters gather outside

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Testimony in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is winding down, with the defense expected to call its potential final witness on Thursday.

Testimony continues into Day 17 after court ended early Wednesday because of what Judge William Sullivan described as an “unforeseen circumstance.”

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Show of support before court

Before court returned to session, hundreds of people gathered to show support for Clancy.

The silent “Stand in Peace” demonstration began at 8 a.m., with a designated, roped-off area set up outside the courthouse for a sea of people who arrived dressed in pink to champion mental healthcare.

“I think it’s about time that women’s health is brought into focus,” one woman in the crowd said. “Mental health is very important to my family and me. I’ve lost loved ones to suicide before. I just think that the mental health system really needs a wake-up call.”

Clancy is charged with three counts of murder in the January 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy. Her attorneys argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder at the time of the killings and should be found not criminally responsible, while the prosecution alleged she was criminally responsible.

Follow Bob Ward’s updates from court

Aug. 20, 2026, 9:43 a.m.

Aug. 20, 2026, 9:08 a.m.

Defense case nears conclusion

The defense is expected to call at least one final witness before resting its case. After that, prosecutors will have an opportunity to present rebuttal witnesses before the trial moves closer to closing arguments.

On Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan ruled that TikTok creator Emily Thorndike would not be permitted to testify. Thorndike had posted videos about her experience working at McLean Hospital between 2014 and 2021.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Thorndike should not be allowed to testify because she did not work at the hospital when Clancy was a patient there.

Defense psychologist faces tough cross-examination

Much of Wednesday’s testimony focused on defense psychologist Dr. Paul Zeizel, who testified that he has met with Clancy approximately 60 times and spent about 35 hours evaluating her over the past three and a half years.

Zeizel told jurors that Clancy continues to think about her children every day.

“She really loved them, misses them, and thinks of them every single day, almost every moment of the day,” Zeizel testified.

The psychologist reiterated his opinion that Clancy was suffering from a severe mental illness at the time of the killings.

“My opinion is that she did indeed have a mental disease or defect... she had bipolar disorder with postpartum psychosis,” Zeizel told the jury.

Prosecutors question expert’s objectivity

During cross-examination, prosecutors challenged Zeizel’s impartiality, highlighting his lengthy involvement in the case and his public comments shortly after the deaths.

Jurors were shown video from a news conference held about two weeks after the killings in which Zeizel appeared alongside Clancy defense attorney Kevin Reddington.

Prosecutors also questioned Zeizel about how much time he has spent evaluating Clancy compared to other defendants and asked whether he had become too personally invested in her case.

Zeizel acknowledged that only one other criminal defendant he has evaluated received a similar amount of attention and that he had testified he cared deeply about only one other defendant.

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