A jury is to determine whether Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was being treated for postpartum mental health issues when she killed the children: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was 8 months old. Plymouth County Superior Court Judge William Sullivan is presiding over the jury trial, which began on July 27 and is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Curated by: Meghann Cuniff (223 videos)
Lindsay Clancy's mother testified on Monday (August 17, day 14) about her daughter's postpartum problems. Paula Musgrove said Clancy told her and Clancy's husband, Patrick Clancy, in December 2022 "that she had thoughts of harming the children." The testimony highlights the case's complexity. Prosecutors allege Clancy knew what she was doing and planned the murders of her three children, so some might think Musgrove's testimony supports premeditation. But Clancy's defense is that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and was not in control of her actions when she killed the children, so Clancy stating concerns about specific thoughts to harm the children a month before she did so supports the idea that she had psychotic thoughts. Musgrove testified about Clancy's devotion to motherhood before she began experiencing mental health problems after the birth of her third child, Callan, in 2022. Musgrove said her daughter "had lost a lot of weight" when she checked into McLean Hospital psychiatric facility, where she stayed for five days in December. "She had become during this whole time paranoid about different things that really she shouldn't have, you know, really weren't logical to become paranoid about. She would mention that her, this wasn't her mind," Musgrove testified. "She would say to me ... 'This isn't me. I've never been like this before,' and I would agree." Clancy "was attempting to go through the motions of her day, take care of the kids as best she could," Musgrove said. "She didn't want to drive, so at times when Pat didn't go pick the kids up at school, I would drive Lindsay to pick the kids up at just at school because she didn't, she was afraid to drive." "Do you recall the end of January that she made a statement to you about the medication, in her opinion, what it was doing to her mind?" asked Jennifer Sprague, an assistant district attorney in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. "Yes," Musgrove answered. Musgrove said Clancy "couldn't remember anything." "The medication was pretty much just destroying her mind, and it wasn't her, she said that this isn't me. I just want to feel better, and enjoy my kids again," Musgrove said. "Now, I know that this is difficult. In December of 2022, do you recall a time that you were in the kitchen with Lindsay and Patrick, and she made a statement about her state of mind to her husband Pat, and you were there?" asked defense attorney Kevin Reddington. "Yes," Musgrove answered. "I know it's difficult. Just tell us what you remember," Reddington said. "I remember her being very nervous. I remember her saying, 'I just have to tell you guys something,' and then she told us," Musgrove said. "What did she tell you?" Reddington asked. "She told us that she had thoughts of harming the children," Musgrove answered. "Thank you very much," Reddington said. You can watch Musgrove's entire testimony unedited on my YouTube channel and Facebook page.