Lindsay Clancy murder trial jury begins deliberations in Massachusetts

Lindsay Clancy’s fate will be decided by a jury of nine women and three men. They were sent to deliberate at 12:34 p.m.

There were 18 jurors for the duration of the testimony, but only 12 will take part in deliberations. 

The court clerk picked six alternates at random by pulling their numbers out of a box. They will be ready to step in, just in case something happens with one of the deliberating jurors. 

Judge Sullivan picked an older woman in jury seat 18 as foreperson.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more dedicated group of jurors in any trial I’ve ever been involved in,” the judge said.

After closing arguments finished, Judge Sullivan reminded jurors that the burden of proof is on the prosecution. He also noted that Lindsay Clancy did not take the stand, and said jurors cannot hold that against her.

“The fact that the defendant did not testify has nothing to do with the question of whether she’s guilty or not guilty,” he said. “You are not to consider it in any way or even discuss it during your deliberations.”

The judge said jurors must also not be influenced by the graphic nature of photos submitted as evidence. 

Lindsay Clancy started crying again as prosecutor Sprague described how Clancy allegedly killed her three young children. 

She said Clancy showed rationality by killing the older children first before the infant. She said strangling them showed extreme atrocity and cruelty.

“I’m sorry how many seconds is it OK for them to have been in pain?” Sprague said. “How about it wasn’t OK for one second for any of them?”

Sprague concluded after 56 minutes by telling the jury that they know “beyond a moral certainty” that she’s guilty.

“She left them discarded on the basement floor like broken toys because she was done playing the game,” Sprague said.

Prosecutor Sprague said Clancy “didn’t want to try anymore,” before making the decision to kill her children.

“I’m not saying she was happy about it. I’m saying it’s what she had to do to end her misery,” Sprague said. “Mothers kill their children and it’s horrible and it’s awful, but it happens.”

Defense attorney Reddington objected when Sprague brought up the Andrea Yates case and said Yates had heard voices telling her to kill her children for months, while Clancy acted after hearing a voice once. Judge Sullivan told Sprague to move on.

Prosecutor Sprague turned to the day of the murders on Jan. 24, 2023. She said Lindsay Clancy started “planning” at 4 p.m., looking up how long it would take for Patrick to get to a restaurant to pick up takeout food.

“She knew that she would have a limited amount of time to do what she wanted to do,” Sprague said.

She said Clancy also called CVS to make sure medicine for Cora was in stock so Patrick’s errands weren’t interrupted.

Sprague said Clancy killed the children immediately after Patrick left, but the defense says it happened after Patrick called her from CVS. Sprague said there’s a reason Clancy wants people to think the murders happened after the phone call.

“If she’s already killed the kids because of a voice and being compelled and it being against her will and she’s like a puppet, then she can’t get a call and miss it and then call the person back and then have a conversation and then hang up,” Sprague said. “A puppet can’t do those things.” 

Prosecutor Sprague said it wasn’t the fault of medical providers that Clancy was struggling. 

She said Clancy wasn’t truthful with her family or with doctors and didn’t take her medication as prescribed, even though she should’ve known better as a nurse. 

“The defense wants you to believe this is a woman begging for help,” Sprague said. “But she wanted to get better on her own terms, doing things her own ways.”

Sprague said Lindsay Clancy had thoughts in December of harming her kids and told Patrick and her mother, but not medical providers even though they asked. 

“Why? Because the police might take away her kids,” Sprague said. “That’s a rational thought.”

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague began her closing argument by saying there’s no dispute that Clancy was suffering from mental illness and then tried to kill herself. 

“The issue is whether at the time she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan she knew the difference between right and wrong,” Sprague said.

Sprague said she had more access to treatment and care than a lot of mothers do, pointing to her extended maternity leave and family help.

“This wasn’t a woman suffering from a lack of care, a lack of resources,” Sprague said. “She had an abundance of care.”

Reddington told jurors that they heard from multiple doctors that Clancy was suffering from a disease and defect at the time of the murders, meaning she was not criminally responsible for her children’s deaths.

He detailed how she reached out to doctors and the suicide hotline as her mental health deteriorated.

“My God, what does she have to do? She was reaching out for help and she was not getting it,” Reddington said.

He finished by reminding jurors that the burden is on the prosecutors to prove their case.

“This young lady is not guilty of the killing of her children because she was suffering from a disease or defect as your honor instructed you,” he said.

Reddington continued to bring up Clancy’s medical treatment in his closing argument, specifically her first psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Tufts. 

“This woman lived for her kids until she had the pleasure of running into Dr. Tufts with two months of experience,” Reddington said. “After Dr. Tufts, it was not a wonderful life anymore.”

He also went after the prosecution’s rebuttal witnesses for not interviewing Clancy until three years after the murders. He said she was friendly and answered all their questions.

“She owned what she did. She never ran from anything,” Reddington said.

Jurors looked very serious, their eyes locked in on Reddington as he talked about the injuries Clancy suffered from her suicide attempt after the murders.

“Why did we spend almost a week showing you the extent and severity of that suicide attempt?” Reddington said. “The reason we had to do that is because they were arguing that it was a fake suicide. Dinky little cuts.”

Reddington was briefly interrupted by Judge Sullivan as he turned to prosecutor Jennifer Sprague and said he challenged her to tell the jury why this “wasn’t a serious suicide attempt.”

“Counsel, address the jury,” Sullivan said.

Defense attorney Reddington began his closing argument by thanking jurors for their service. He said the prosecution has “ripped the soul out of this girl,” referring to Clancy.

He showed pictures of the Clancy’s looking like a happy family and asked how the children ended up dead.

“Because of damn medicine and the lousy medical care that she got,” Reddington said.

He said the prosecution has suggested that Clancy killed Dawson first because she didn’t like him.

“That is repulsive,” he said.

Lindsay Clancy started to cry as the judge explained to jurors how she is charged with causing the deaths of her three children. 

She used a tissue to wipe her tears and took deep breaths while the judge detailed what’s necessary to prove a first-degree murder conviction.

Judge Sullivan explained to the jury that a defendant cannot be held criminally responsible if they have a mental disease or defect and because of that, they cannot appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct or conform it to the requirements of the law.

In Massachusetts, the prosecution has the burden to prove a lack of mental disease in the defendant. 

“The commonwealth must prove that the defendant knew and understood that her conduct was illegal or wrong,” Sullivan said. 

Judge William Sullivan explained to the jury how this final phase of the trial will unfold. 

He will give the jurors the first half of his jury instructions, detailing the specific charges against Clancy.

Then closing arguments will happen, with each side getting an hour to make their case.

After, Sullivan will give general jury instructions before sending them to deliberate.

Lindsay Clancy was brought into the courtroom in her wheelchair at 9:24 a.m. She’s wearing a powder blue blouse. She’s not wearing glasses today. 

Everyone but the judge and jury were in place at 9:25 a.m. The courtroom is full. There are six rows of media, four rows of the general public, 1.5 rows for the district attorney’s staff and police and two rows on the other side of the room for some court staff, Clancy’s family and friends of Kevin Reddington.

The court is absolutely silent. Court officers have asked people in the gallery to keep movement to a minimum during closings.

Prosecutors Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham walked into court at 9:09 a.m. for the 22nd day of Clancy’s trial. They have 11 additional people with them including victim witness advocates and some police officers.

Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington then went into the hallway and pulled a few members of the general public into court with him. 

I saw him speaking with the same women in the parking lot Wednesday, telling them he would get them into the courtroom.

Registered media were welcomed into the courtroom at 9:16 a.m.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz entered the courtroom at 9:19 a.m. He was here at the beginning of trial as well, but otherwise has not been in the courtroom, except one other appearance in the middle of trial.

You can watch closing arguments in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial when court is in session, just after 9 a.m. 

They will be streamed live from Plymouth Superior Court on CBS News Boston and on YouTube.

Lindsay Clancy’s parents, Michael and Paula Musgrove, entered the courtroom just before 9 a.m.

Before they went in, they spoke with Bob Jones, the private investigator for Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington.

There are more than 50 media members and 60+ members of the general public in line waiting to get into the courtroom. All of these people will likely not fit inside.

We are not allowed to take pictures inside the courthouse.

As of 8:43 a.m., the media and members of the public have naturally formed two lines right outside of the courtroom and are starting to fill the hallway.

Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington walked into court surrounded by a massive media scrum Thursday morning.

A member of the public yelled from line, “Good luck, Mr. Reddington!” 

The courthouse opened at 8:32 a.m. and members of the public and media started to go through security.

As of 8:10 a.m., there were more than 90 people in line waiting to get into the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

This is a mix of media members and the general public. I would say the split is about 60% media, 40% general public.

Some people have brought their children here and have lawn chairs to wait in line. 

A few members of the public are wearing pink as a tribute to Lindsay Clancy. I see some familiar faces in the public who were in court Wednesday as well.

When court ended for the day on Tuesday, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington was asked by WBZ-TV’s Aaron Parseghian what to expect from his closing argument. 

“Fireworks,” Reddington said. “I don’t know what I’m going to say until I say it. I don’t write them out, I don’t type them out. I don’t run them by anybody. I just say what comes to my mind.”

If convicted of first-degree murder, Lindsay Clancy faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Clancy could also be found guilty of lesser charges, including second-degree murder or manslaughter. 

If the jury decides she was not criminally responsible for the deaths of her children, she will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.

The jury could also reach a straight not guilty verdict. That is highly unlikely though because her attorney said Clancy admits killing her children and he has not presented any evidence that she didn’t do it.

Judge William Sullivan is overseeing the trial in Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

During the final days of the trial, Sullivan was asked to declare a mistrial after a prosecution witness began discussing Lindsay Clancy’s religious beliefs. The judge denied the defense’s request for a mistrial, but he reprimanded the prosecution and later told jurors they should not consider the testimony. 

The Plymouth District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the case against Lindsay Clancy.

Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham handled the questioning of witnesses throughout the trial.

For the defense, Kevin Reddington is representing Clancy.

A key question in Clancy’s trial is whether postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her three children.

The disorder is rare, estimated to afflict only 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. 

Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality. It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions.

Perinatal psychiatrist Dr. Uruj Kamal Haider said on “Healthful” with Norah O’Donnell that postpartum psychosis is “a break from reality” where “the brain cannot properly process information,” characterized by delusions, hallucinations and confusion. Dr. Haider said the delusions are “fixed false beliefs that tend to revolve around the baby.” 

Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency where the mother must be sent to the hospital and the baby put into a safe place as soon as possible. But Dr. Haider emphasized that “with adequate and prompt treatment, most of these women go on to recover and have wonderful, beautiful lives with their family.”

Read more here and here. 

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].