Duxbury mom charged with murdering her 3 kids pleads not guilty

TEWKSBURY, Mass. (WPRI) — The Duxbury woman accused of strangling her three kids to death before attempting to take her own life earlier this year faced a judge Thursday.

Lindsay Clancy, 33, pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder during her arraignment, which took place at Tewksbury Hospital.

Clancy, who’s now paralyzed from the waist down after jumping out of a second-floor window, sat in a wheelchair for the entirety of the proceedings. She’s accused of strangling her three children with exercise bands inside their Summer Street home.

Her eldest children, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, were rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Her youngest child, 7-month-old Callan Clancy, spent several days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.

Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said that, prior to killing her children, Lindsay sent her husband Patrick to pick up takeout from a restaurant the family doesn’t normally go to. Sprague said Lindsay also requested he stop at CVS to buy medication for their daughter, and used Apple Maps to determine how long it would take him to return home.

“She did not take advantage of the situation when her husband went out that night,” Sprague said. “She created the situation.”

When Patrick called his wife to ask her about the medication he was picking up, he told investigators Lindsay “seemed fine” but sounded like she was in the middle of something, according to Sprague.

Patrick returned home to an unusually quiet house. Sprague said he eventually discovered his wife on the ground outside underneath their bedroom window.

Lindsay told her husband the kids were in the basement, according to Sprague. He ran inside and found their children unresponsive with the exercise bands tied around their necks.

Sprague revealed during the proceedings that seven different psychiatric medications were detected in Lindsay’s blood at the time of the slayings, including three antidepressants, an antipsychotic, two sedatives and an anticonvulsant.

But Sprague noted that the two medications found at “peak levels” in her system — an antidepressant and antipsychotic — were likely taken after she killed her children. She also explained that the other medications found in Lindsay’s system were either detected at therapeutic levels or levels too low effect her mental state.

Sprague revealed that Dawson showed signs of fighting back against his mother, meaning Lindsay had enough time to rethink her decision.

“She had to strangle her kids to unconsciousness and then keeping strangling them for an additional minute [to kill them],” Sprague said. “She could’ve stopped at any time, she could’ve changed her mind at any time and she could’ve helped them at any time.”

“She killed these children in their home where they should’ve been safe,” she continued. “She did so with deliberate premeditation, extreme atrocity and cruelty.”

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Lindsay’s attorney Kevin Reddington described her as being a “troubled soul” who had sought treatment for post-partum depression after having her youngest child and was overprescribed psychiatric medication.

“In the weeks and months prior, she was in such a state that she was unable to emote, unable to feel and she had no ability to love,” Reddington explained.

Superior Court Judge William Sullivan concluded that Lindsay poses a serious risk of harming herself and should remain hospitalized without bail. Her next court date is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Meanwhile, the GoFundMe page created to support the Clancy family has surpassed $1 million. In a statement earlier this year, Patrick asked everyone to forgive his wife.

“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone,” he said. “The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”

Patrick stated he plans on putting all of his energy into healing and rediscovering his purpose.

“Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don’t know if the pain will ever go away, but I’ll do my best to carry on in your honor,” he continued.