Lindsay Clancy trial ends earlier than expected Wednesday due to "unforeseen circumstance"
Lindsay Clancy's trial continued Wednesday in Massachusetts, though testimony for the day ended earlier than expected.
A forensic psychologist who testified that Clancy said she heard a voice ordering her to kill her children completed his cross-examination to start the day. Then the judge later ruled that a TikTok user who previously worked at McLean Hospital will not be allowed to testify in front of the jury.
Another full day of testimony was expected in Plymouth Superior Court. But after the lunch break, Judge William Sullivan told jurors that they were dismissed for the day "due to an unforeseen circumstance."
Dr. Paul Zeizel finished his testimony earlier in the day. Then before lunch recess, Emily Thorndike, a former McLean Hospital employee, was questioned without the jury present.
Court was expected to resume around 2:15 p.m., but Judge Sullivan went to sidebar, and then told jurors they would be going home and court will resume at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
"This is not something we saw coming. But you're not to speculate about what it is, you're not to hold it against either side. It's just something that we have to deal with," Sullivan said, adding that the proceedings are still on schedule.
TikTok user can't testify, judge rules
Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham have been questioning witnesses throughout the trial, while Kevin Reddington is handling the case for the defense.
Without the jury present during the lunch recess, Judge Sullivan heard arguments about the potential testimony from TikTok user Emily Thorndike. Thorndike worked at McLean Hospital, but not while Clancy received treatment there starting New Year's Day 2023.
Thorndike took issue with how the prosecution described the Belmont, Massachusetts, mental health facility while Patrick Clancy was on the stand. She made a TikTok about her experience working in McLean from 2014 to 2021 that was widely viewed, and prompted Reddington to ask Judge Sullivan to let him call her as a witness.
"I felt what was discussed in court was not aligned with what my experience was. I noted several things," Thorndike said without the jury present, adding that she felt some of the prosecution's questions were misleading about staffing, especially around a holiday weekend.
Reddington tried unsuccessfully to get in contact with Thorndike after seeing the video, and eventually sent his private investigator to her house to speak to her.
The prosecution argued that Thorndike should not be allowed to testify because she did not work at McLean when Clancy was there, and that records should speak for themselves.
The judge said after hearing arguments that while he found Thorndike credible, he will not allow her to testify. Judge Sullivan said there is limited materiality in what she could testify to, and limited value to the testimony. He said the defense can submit records about staffing from the week before Clancy was there in addition to the week she was there so that jurors can compare.
Dr. Zeizel completes testimony
Dr. Paul Zeizel was one of several witnesses who testified for the defense on Tuesday. He was back on the stand Wednesday morning.
There were some tense moments as Zeizel completed his testimony.
He described Clancy as "extremely well-regarded and well-liked" in her unit at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she remains following the children's deaths.
"Lindsay Clancy has bad days and worse days," Zeizel said. "She does speak about her children. She really loved them, and misses them, and thinks of them every single day almost every moment of the day."
Buckingham attempted to show how close of a relationship Zeizel has with Clancy, attempting to show it could impact what he says about her.
The prosecutor asked Zeizel how many defendants he has spent 35 hours evaluating. He said only one other. She asked how many others he has "cared deeply for." He again said only one.
"How many defendants have you given press conferences about?" Buckingham asked. Zeizel said none.
Buckingham also noted that Clancy continually refers to the deaths of her children as "my tragedy." Zeizel answered that it is "just one of the things that she'll say."
At the end of Zeizel's testimony, Buckingham asked him if at Tewksbury State Hospital there is concern for Clancy attempting suicide. He said yes and that she is on constant one-to-one monitoring.
Buckingham ended her questioning by asking if Clancy has attempted to die by suicide since the night her children were killed. Zeizel said Clancy has not.
Zeizel finished his time on the stand around 12:35 p.m.
Dr. Zeizel testifies in Clancy trial
Earlier, Zeizel said he met with Clancy in the hospital in early February 2023, shortly after the murders of her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan, in their Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023.
On Wednesday, he started by testifying about steps Clancy took to treat her mental health in the months before the murders. He said she sought help in late 2022 for depression and psychotic symptoms of disassociation.
"She felt that her brain was damaged, she felt that she should kill herself and she was never going to get any better," Dr. Zeizel testified. "Her concern was that when people could hear her thoughts, her children would be removed from her care."
Dr. Zeizel also testified that she called the suicide hotline twice in December but did not receive any help. He said she continued experiencing unrelenting intrusive thoughts and voices in her head after being discharged from McLean Hospital in January.
"They were getting worse and they were telling her to kill herself," he said.
Dr. Zeizel concluded his testimony for the defense by saying Clancy had a mental disease.
"My opinion is that she did have indeed a mental disease," he said. "She was unable to conform her behaviors to the rule of law, and she had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her act."
During cross-examination, Buckingham asked how Dr. Zeizel found out that Clancy was hearing voices. He said he spoke to other people, including a chaplain, who said she reported hearing voices. Buckingham said that's not what she was telling doctors before the murders.
"You're aware that when she described intrusive thoughts, she never referred to them as a voice telling her to kill herself, did she?" Buckingham asked.
"No," Dr. Zeizel said.
Buckingham brought up the topic of confirmatory bias on cross-examination, and showed a video of Reddington and Zeizel at a news conference, attempting to show their close relationship.
On re-direct questioning, Reddington asked if he was avoiding telling the truth, or if it was his opinion about what was happening with Clancy.
"I am telling the truth," Zeizel said, an answer that the judge struck from the record after an objection.
Reddington also asked Zeizel if caring for Clancy is a violation of ethics.
"Not at all," Zeizel answered. He added that it is within the ethical standards, and that it's "appropriate and meaningful" to develop empathy and rapport with a patient.
Lindsay Clancy trial
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder but admits to killing her children. Reddington has argued Clancy should not be held criminally responsible because she was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Prosecutors said she planned the murders before faking a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
If Clancy is convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If the jury finds that she was not criminally responsible for the deaths of her children, she will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.
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. to 10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
