PLYMOUTH, Mass. (Court TV) —With weeks to go before a Massachusetts woman stands trial on charges she killed her young children, her attorney went head-to-head with prosecutors on Thursday in a battle over what the jury will see and hear.
Lindsay Clancy sits in court during a pretrial hearing on June 18, 2026. (Court TV)
Lindsay Clancy, 35, is charged with murder in the deaths of her three young children at the family’s home in Jan. 2023. Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 7 months, were each strangled to death with exercise bands in the basement of their house; after the children were killed, Lindsay Clancy tried cutting herself with a knife before throwing herself out of a second-story window. The fall left her paralyzed. Clancy has never denied her role in her children’s deaths; she maintains, through her attorney, that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time.
At what was initially scheduled to be the final hearing before Lindsay Clancy’s trial, prosecutors went back and forth with defense attorney Kevin Reddington about several aspects of the case, ranging from who would be allowed in the courtroom to proposed exhibits to be used during the trial.
Prosecutors had asked Judge William F. Sullivan to bar the defendant’s parents and sister from sitting in the courtroom until they had testified, if called. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague explained that the three members of Clancy’s family had refused to speak with her team to discuss their testimony. “Here we go again, starting right out of the gate. That is absolutely improper to represent that they refused to meet with the district attorney,” Reddington shot back. “This isn’t a murder case with a drive-by and an identification issue that we’re worried about people perjuring themselves.” Sullivan agreed and said the three could sit in the courtroom during the entire trial, while other witnesses would be sequestered until after their testimony.
MORE | Defense: Lindsay Clancy willing to stipulate to her involvement in kids’ deaths
When prosecutors asked Sullivan to allow one of their experts to perform a physical demonstration on blood spatter and smearing, Reddington objected. “This has been referred to as ‘voodoo forensics.’ It’s total speculation,” he said. “It’s junk science.” Sullivan refused to deny the motion outright, but said that a further hearing would be required, with a voir dire of the expert and a proposed demonstration, before it would be shown to the jury.
The issue of a jury view was contentious not for the defense but for prosecutors, who have faced opposition to the idea from the property’s current owner. The homeowner’s attorney, who appeared at the hearing virtually, said his client has been accommodating to prosecutors who wanted to come in to take measurements, but does not want the jury brought to his house. “It would be massively disruptive to the homeowner,” the attorney said. “Your honor certainly well knows, a view is an event. I don’t want to call it a circus; it’s not a fair word, but it’s an event. A bus shows up. There’s probably state police given the nature of this case. He has neighbors; he’s in a neighborhood. He has a live-in domestic partner who works from home. They have pets.”
Sprague fired back, “I find it very disingenuous of the homeowner, who’s an attorney — he was a prosecutor in our office. He knows how we handle cases,” she said. “He bought this house after the horrific murder of three children occurred in that house, knowing that there would be a view someday. So I find it very disingenuous that at this point he’s concerned about his privacy.” Sprague also noted that arrangements had already been made to block off the street entirely during the viewing.
MORE | Prosecutor: Lindsay Clancy wrote about regretting kids before murders
Sullivan granted the motion but said he would issue an order addressing some of the logistical concerns expressed by the homeowner and limiting the number of people allowed to attend.
Prosecutors have pointed to the 911 call placed by the defendant’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, as evidence that Lindsay Clancy’s actions were premeditated and deliberate and filed a motion indicating they plan to play the recording for the jury. “I have an objection to it being admitted just because it’s horrific,” Reddington said. “But legally, I have to concede there’s no basis to object.”
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on July 20; Sprague estimated the trial could take up to two months.
