First In-Person Court Appearance in Wheelchair
Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother facing charges of killing her three young children, made her first in-person court appearance before her murder trial.
Clancy entered the courtroom at Plymouth District Court for a procedural hearing on Friday, sitting in a wheelchair with a solemn face and an almost unblinking gaze, according to local television.
Her paralysis developed after she allegedly cut her own throat and jumped from a window following the incident involving her three young children. Previously, Clancy had attended hearings remotely from her hospital bed.
Attorney Proposes Bifurcated Trial to Consider Mental State
Judge William F. Sullivan and attorneys set March 2 for oral arguments on several procedural matters, including a proposal for a bifurcated trial.
The former nurse seeks an initial trial for the jury to determine responsibility in the accusation of strangling her three children — Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; Callan, 8 months — with exercise bands at their Duxbury home in January 2023.
Subsequently, a separate trial would allow the jury to consider whether she was in a state of "mental illness or defect" at the time of the incident, according to court documents filed by attorney Kevin Reddington prior to the hearing.
Mental Health Evaluation Scheduled for April 10
The hearing also addressed a mental health evaluation scheduled for April 10, chosen by the prosecution's expert. Judge Sullivan stated that the evaluation would proceed on that date regardless of the circumstances.
The judge asked if Clancy would continue to appear in person at subsequent hearings. Attorney Reddington conferred with his client and then stated he intended to bring her to court. He told reporters: "I protect her very carefully and I don't want her to be stressed." The attorney described the court process as emotionally draining, with his client feeling anxious and fearful, needing gradual adaptation.
Civil Lawsuit Alleges Doctor Malpractice
In a civil lawsuit, Clancy accuses several doctors of mishandling her bipolar disorder treatment, using multiple medications from October to December 2022, including antidepressants, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and mood stabilizers.
The lawsuit states she heard voices after starting an antipsychotic medication on the day of the incident. Her husband, Patrick Clancy, filed a separate lawsuit, alleging that the excessive medication led to her hearing voices at the time of the incident.
A year after her arrest, Clancy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder — a condition that the lawsuit suggests antidepressants often exacerbate.
After the hearing, her mother, Paula Musgrove, told reporters: "She's a loving mother, always has been."
Clancy is currently on suicide watch at Tewksbury Hospital in Massachusetts. The trial is scheduled for July 2026 at Plymouth Superior Court.
