"An extreme tragedy": Duxbury mom accused of killing 3 children takes responsibility, lawyer says

For one of the final hearings ahead of her July 20 murder trial, Lindsay Clancy was wheeled into the Plymouth courtroom in a wheelchair. 

Clancy is paralyzed after a suicide attempt on the same night she allegedly killed her three children back in 2023 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She receives full-time care at Tewksbury Hospital and receives rides with nurses' care 64 miles to and from the Plymouth court.

Prosecutors allege that Clancy murdered her three young children on a January night in 2023, as her husband Patrick was out getting the family takeout.

"She takes responsibility," Clancy's lawyer Kevin Reddington said after the hearing. "She, as the kids say, she owns it. She's not running away from anything here. This whole case is an extreme tragedy."

Reddington said nobody disputes what happened the night of the children's death. Rather, they dispute why.

Clancy's defense will focus on her mental health. Her lawyer alleges that postpartum mental health issues caused the tragic result that night. Prosecutors, rather, claim the acts were planned and deliberate.

Husband will testify in trial

In one of the final hearings ahead of the trial on Thursday, prosecutors revealed that Patrick Clancy, Lindsay's husband and the father of the three children, will testify in the trial. They also asked the judge for permission to play his harrowing 911 call, during which he discovers his children's lifeless bodies.

Judge Sullivan said he's likely to allow the entire 911 clip to be played for the jury but wants to listen to it first to determine if any of it needs to be excluded from trial.

There were some heated moments in the hearing, as lawyers sparred over whether Lindsay Clancy's parents and sister should be allowed in the courtroom before they're called to testify.

"We've tried to meet with these witnesses, with the defendant's parents and sister, but they've refused to meet with us for trial prep," prosecutor Jennifer Sprague told the judge.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington replied emphatically, "Well, here we go I guess – starting right out of the gate. That is absolutely improper to represent that they refused to meet with the district attorney."

"We have been extremely cooperative," Reddington said.

One other contentious point, the man who now owns Clancy's Duxbury home is asking the court to prohibit the jury from a "view" to see the crime scene. "I find it very disingenuous of the homeowner, who is an attorney and not only an attorney, but he was a prosecutor in our office and so he knows how we handle cases," Prosecutor Sprague told the judge. "He knows how we do trials. And now he's a defense attorney in this county."

The judge disregarded the homeowner's privacy concerns and said he would allow the jury to go on a "view" to the scene during trial.

Lindsay Clancy's presence in courtroom

Regarding Clancy's presence, attorney Reddington told reporters he's inclined to get permission to keep her out of the courtroom for especially gruesome testimony, including autopsy photos.

Still, he said his client would likely want to be present if the court so orders despite the pain. "I don't understand how she's going to be able to have the strength to go through that," Reddington said. "Well, people say, 'well you know she did it so she's going to have to go through it.'"

Clancy has another hearing on July 13 and jury selection starts on July 20. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks.