Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Lindsay Clancy appeared visibly distressed in court, with reports describing her as ‘shaking’ and ‘taking deep breaths’ while Patrick Clancy gave evidence in the case concerning the deaths of their three children.
The high-profile trial began on July 20, 2026, in Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts, nearly three years after the January 2023 deaths that shocked the Duxbury community. Prosecutors allege Patrick Clancy returned to the family home after being away for less than an hour and found Lindsay in the backyard after an apparent suicide attempt, before discovering Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, dead inside the home.
Lindsay Clancy has entered not guilty pleas to three counts of first-degree murder. Her legal team argues that she had been prescribed excessive medication for mental health problems and was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis. The case is expected to hinge on whether she can be found criminally responsible for the killings.
Patrick Clancy was the first witness called at Plymouth Superior Court on Monday (July 27), where questioning began with the nature of his relationship with Lindsay.
During his testimony, the courtroom was tense. CourtTV editor Cathy Russon reported that Lindsay appeared emotional as Patrick spoke.
As per CNN, Patrick told jurors that Lindsay had previously spoken about intrusive thoughts involving the children roughly two weeks before they died.
“She described thoughts of hurting the kids or them having some sort of ailment,” he said.
He said those conversations happened between November and December 2022. According to his testimony, Lindsay told him she did not believe she needed to be separated from the children and did not describe any concrete plan to harm them.
“It was very confusing because a minute later, she was making them lunch or playing with them or getting ready for bed or whatever it was,” he claimed, saying he ‘wasn’t concerned’ for the kids’ safety, and Lindsay wasn’t showing ‘any intention’ of hurting them.
Patrick also told the court that Lindsay’s condition deteriorated sharply after she began taking a new medication in December 2022.
This is how Lindsay Clancy reacted when her ex-husband was called to the stand. Shaking, deep breaths. pic.twitter.com/ds5FJ2UfKL
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) July 27, 2026
“She started to lose a lot of weight, and she became very depressed. She was having a really hard time,” he said.
He further testified that she spent several days in a psychiatric hospital and later went to Massachusetts General Hospital’s emergency department on December 31, 2022 because she was reportedly ‘still talking about suicide’.
Patrick said she was then transferred to McLean Hospital on January 1, 2023.
Earlier in proceedings, before Patrick took the stand, Lindsay was seen crying during opening statements as prosecutor Shanan Buckingham spoke about each of the three children.
“Cora, she had just turned five, she was sweet, silly, smart, she loved sparkly dresses, wearing bows in her hair, she loved princesses and baby dolls,” the prosecutor said.
“She even tried to convince her preschool teachers at the beginning that that her name was Sophia because she loved the Disney character so very much.”
Buckingham also described Dawson as ‘funny and full of energy’, while Callan was referred to as a ‘sweet little baby’.
VIDEO: Lindsay Clancy appeared to begin crying almost immediately as prosecutor Shanan Buckingham described the personalities of her three young children during opening statements.
Clancy shook in her wheelchair, clutched tissues and kept her eyes closed as Buckingham spoke… pic.twitter.com/KHVPojPJrv
— Sarah Rumpf Whitten (@s_rumpfwhitten) July 27, 2026
It was at that point that Lindsay was reportedly seen trembling in her wheelchair and wiping away tears as Buckingham continued.
“We are here today because they are not.”
The 35-year-old uses a wheelchair after jumping from a window following the alleged killings, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
She has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. If convicted, she could face a sentence of life in prison.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.