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Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial in Massachusetts will wind down Wednesday with testimony from the prosecution’s final rebuttal witness.
You can watch it live on CBS News Boston in the embedded video or on YouTube when court is in session.
Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a professor of emergency medicine and a forensic psychiatrist who has worked with the FBI, was back on the witness stand in Plymouth Superior Court. Once he’s done testifying on Wednesday, jurors will be sent home and lawyers for both sides will go through the next steps in the trial. Closing arguments are expected on Thursday.
Cross-examination of final witness
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington began his cross-examination by noting that Saathoff didn’t interview Clancy until more than three years after the murders.
He went through Saathoff’s resume line-by-line, saying he’s “written a lot about terrorism” but not much about postpartum depression. Saathoff said he last treated a woman suffering from postpartum psychosis in the 1990s.
Reddington said Clancy was complaining of dark thoughts and homicidal ideation to doctors and others in her community.
“The homicidal ideation, as I understand, was just voiced to her husband and her mother,” Saathoff replied.
“Just voiced? Is that like talking about the Red Sox?” Reddington said. “She’s talking about homicidal ideation of her children.”
Dr. Gregory Saathoff testimony
Saathoff began his testimony Tuesday. He interviewed Clancy in May and June of this year and talked to her about the voice she said she heard that ordered her to kill the children. He said she told him the voice stopped once the killings had ended. Saathoff also said there were inconsistencies in Clancy’s story.
When Saathoff was back on the stand Wednesday, prosecutor Jennifer Sprague asked if the voice Clancy heard told her where or how to kill the children and herself. He said it was significant that it did not.
“It indicated that she had control,” he said.
Saathoff characterized Clancy’s suicide attempt as “very serious,” even though prosecutors have previously highlighted that the cuts she inflicted on herself were not too severe.
“The fact that the lacerations were not deep doesn’t mean that she wasn’t intending to kill herself,” he said.
Sprague asked Saathoff if Clancy was overmedicated, which is one of the defense’s key arguments.
“She experienced some significant side effects from some of her medication,” he said, but added she still had an ability to appreciate right from wrong.
Saathoff said it’s his medical opinion that Clancy was criminally responsible for the murders, saying there was a significant amount of planning involved in sending Patrick Clancy to CVS and pick up takeout food, as well as choosing the basement and exercise bands for the murders.
“I believe that she expected to die and that by the time that Mr. Clancy arrived she would have successfully been able to take her life,” he said.
Lindsay Clancy trial
Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the strangulation deaths of her children – 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan – in their Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023.
Clancy admits to killing her children. Her attorney said she should not be held criminally responsible because she was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors said Clancy was not psychotic and planned the murders.
The jury of 12 women and six men have heard testimony from 85 witnesses since July 27.
If Clancy is convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If the jury determines she was not criminally responsible, she will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.
Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger/Pool 
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 healthcare resources and support, the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].
