Lindsay Clancy willing to admit to killing her kids in bid to separate issues at trial
Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury, Massachusetts, mom accused of killing her children in 2023, would be willing to admit to her role in their deaths in writing if the issue can be separated from consideration of her criminal responsibility at trial.
Clancy, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges brought by the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office over the 2023 deaths of her children: 5-year-old Cora Clancy, 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, and 8-month-old Callan Clancy.
Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, had argued for what is known as a “bifurcated trial,” meaning the first part would be to determine whether Clancy is found guilty and the second part would be to determine whether she is criminally responsible.
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William F. Sullivan denied Clancy’s motion, but in a new motion dated April 2, the defense requested a reconsideration.
“…the issue of the actions that resulted in the death of the decedents in the indictments at the bar is not a live issue and the defendant is willing to stipulate formally in writing to her involvement,” the filing reads. “The defendant submits that the only live issue for consideration at trial would be the defendant’s state of mind as it relates to the defense of lack of criminal responsibility.”
Reddington previously filed a notice in December that they plan to pursue an insanity defense, and Clancy filed a malpractice lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court in February against several of her medical providers, alleging they failed to diagnose her bipolar disorder and subjected her to a “disorganized, uncoordinated course of polypharmacy” that resulted in a psychotic break.
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If Clancy were found mentally incompetent, she would not go to prison, but she could be committed to a mental health facility.
Prosecutors argued that the defendant has no constitutional right to a bifurcated trial and that the two trials would be “nearly identical.” They also said requests for bifurcated trials are usually denied and there is no real reason to support the request.
Prosecutors allege Clancy killed her three children on Jan. 24, 2023, by strangling them with exercise bands after sending her husband to get takeout food from a far away restaurant. Following the attacks, officials allege Clancy cut her wrists and neck before jumping from a second-story window in an attempt to end her own life.
The incident left her paralyzed from the sternum down, according to her attorney. She has been undergoing mental health treatment at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she is under constant supervision.
Clancy is scheduled to undergo a forensic psychological evaluation from April 10-12, and the parties are scheduled to return to court on April 23 for a status hearing. Her trial is scheduled to begin on July 20, after it was postponed multiple times.
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