Lindsay Clancy conveyed a disturbing message to a hospital chaplain who came to see her following the tragic incident in which the mother strangled her three young children. This revelation came to light on Thursday, after the chaplain noted that the breathing tube had been removed one week post her horrific act and failed suicide attempt.
Clancy’s defense attorney stated that he anticipates closing arguments to take place on Monday in Plymouth, . He expressed that his client is feeling extremely “beat up and just so sad” after enduring nearly four exhausting weeks of testimony.
The 36-year-old labor and delivery nurse has wept at various moments as witnesses recounted the events of the night she took the lives of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, using exercise bands in the basement of her family’s residence in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023 — exclaiming, “I can’t do this!” as the autopsy reports were presented.
Chaplain Sheila Cavanaugh testifies
Chaplain Sheila Cavanaugh informed the jury that Lindsay Clancy frequently discusses her children and “carries immense grief.”
“talks frequently about her children; she loves them deeply. She carries immense grief,” the chaplain stated.
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Cavanaugh stated that she has maintained weekly meetings with Clancy in the years following the murders, including as recently as just prior to the trial commencing at the end of July.
On February 6, 2023, just days after the murders, Clancy expressed to Cavanaugh her “fears of not being able to walk again,” and she was concerned that this would render her vulnerable to others, as noted by the chaplain.
Chaplain meets Lindsay Clancy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
She also recalled the first encounter with at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on January 25, 2023 — the day following the murders.
Upon entering Clancy’s hospital room, she found that Clancy was unable to speak due to a breathing tube inserted in her mouth.
“She was dressed in medical armour, she had tubes, she was intubated, she had bandages, she had a neck brace,” the chaplain stated. “She was just covered and layered in equipment that allowed her to breath.”
When Cavanaugh encountered Clancy on January 31, just a few days following the removal of the breathing tube, she described Clancy’s emotional state as very neutral, exhibiting a flat affect.
“I remember vividly the first thing she said to me,” the chaplain testified, adding that Clancy stated to her she was “so glad my children are safe.”
Lindsay Clancy trial
Clancy is facing three counts of first-degree murder and could be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if found guilty.
The defense maintains that she is not criminally accountable for the deaths of her three children, citing her struggle with undiagnosed postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder, conditions intensified by a risky blend of 13 powerful psychiatric medications.
