TEWKSBURY, Mass. (Court TV) — A woman accused of murdering her three young children appeared at her arraignment today at the hospital where she continues to be held.
Lindsay Clancy sat in a wheelchair next to her defense attorney but remained silent other than to plead not guilty during the hearing. Clancy was indicted on charges of murder and strangulation after allegedly using exercise bands to kill her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 7 months. Clancy’s husband returned home on Jan. 24, 2023, to find his wife had jumped out of a second-story window after slitting her wrists and throat.
In this video screen image, Lindsay Clancy with a surgical mask over her face in a hospital appears during her arraignment on charges regarding her three children’s deaths at Plymouth District Court Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Plymouth, Mass. With District Court Judge John Canavan as the presiding judge the defendant participated remotely through videoconference. Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of 32-year-old Clancy to charges including murder, strangulation and assault and battery at her arraignment. (David Ryan/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague laid out the evidence which she said proves that Clancy planned the murders of her young children. Sprague pointed to a note that she had written on her phone back in October that said, “I think I sort of regret my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby.” Sprague said another note said, “I want to feel love and connection with all of my kids,” and also noted she wanted to have more children eventually.
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Four days before the murders, Clancy allegedly used her phone to search, “can you treat a sociopath.”
“Dawson had the most petechiae on his face and neck,” Sprague said. “According to the medical examiner, this means Dawson either struggled or fought for his life more than Cora or Callen were able to, or that she strangled him harder than the other two, or both.”
Sprague noted that it requires 10 pounds of pressure sustained for several minutes to strangle someone to death, and that even after the victim is unconscious the murderer must maintain a hold for additional minutes.
Sprague also questioned whether Clancy’s self-harm was a legitimate suicide attempt, describing her cuts as superficial and saying that she “lowered herself out of the window and dropped down. I don’t think she took into account the fact that the ground was frozen.”
READ MORE: Investigators: Mother planned to murder three children
Kevin Reddington, Clancy’s attorney, said that her suicide attempt was legitimate, as evidenced by copious amounts of blood in the home, and said that his client is permanently paralyzed after breaking her spine.
“She obviously had no reason to kill those three beautiful children,” Reddington told the judge. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Why? Why?’ And when you ask yourself why and you consider all of these factors it’s readily apparent, I suggest Judge, that this woman was a troubled soul.”
Prosecutors believe Clancy was not in the throws of psychosis and meticulously planned for her husband to be out of the house for enough time for her to kill the children. They said that she used Apple Maps to calculate the distance of his drive, and even took a phone call after the murders but before jumping out of the window.
“The defendant did not take advantage of the situation,” Sprague said. “She created the situation.”
The judge ruled that Clancy remains a threat to herself and will be held at the hospital for the next six months. Her next court date is scheduled for Dec. 15.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
