The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy continued in Massachusetts with limited testimony before Judge William Sullivan dismissed the jury early for the second consecutive day. Clancy is charged with killing her three young children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—at their Duxbury home in January 2023. Her defense argues that severe postpartum psychosis left her unable to understand the wrongfulness of her actions.
The only witness Thursday was hospital chaplain Sheila Cavanaugh, who said she visited Clancy about 14 times following the killings and Clancy’s fall from a second-story window. Cavanaugh recalled Clancy’s first words after being removed from a breathing tube and testified that Clancy later described hearing a male voice warning that she and her children would not be safe unless she obeyed.
Prosecutors challenged that testimony by pointing to Cavanaugh’s detailed notes from those hospital visits. During cross-examination, Cavanaugh acknowledged that she never documented Clancy mentioning the alleged voice in those records. The exchange highlighted a central issue in the trial: whether claims about hallucinations and commands are supported by medical documentation made closer to the time of the events.
Earlier, forensic psychologist Dr. Paul Zeizel testified that Clancy’s mental illness significantly impaired her ability to understand her actions or follow the law. He also said she had experienced voices telling her to harm herself before the killings. However, prosecutors noted that medical records from the months before the incident did not document reports of such voices. Zeizel also confirmed that Clancy has not reported hearing voices since 2023.
The defense maintains that Clancy’s condition was consistent with severe postpartum psychosis and that she should not be held criminally responsible. Prosecutors, meanwhile, continue to emphasize inconsistencies between later accounts and contemporaneous medical records. With the defense nearing the end of its case, the jury is expected to hear more testimony as the court considers the difficult question of Clancy’s mental state at the time of the children’s deaths.
