Lindsay Clancy’s psychiatrists testify at her murder trial

Psychiatrists who treated Lindsay Clancy before she killed her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on Jan. 24, 2023, began testifying in her high-profile murder trial on Friday.

Clancy is facing first-degree murder charges in the deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. The defense says she was overmedicated and suffering from an extreme episode of postpartum psychosis when she strangled the children. 

A full day of testimony is expected on Friday in Plymouth Superior Court.

You can watch the trial live in the embedded video, on CBS News Boston or on the CBS News Boston YouTube page while court is in session.

Clancy’s first psychiatrist testifies

Dr. Jennifer Tufts, Clancy’s former psychiatrist, took the stand just before 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Clancy had begun seeing Tufts in September of 2022. 

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague began by questioning Tufts about whether Clancy had tried medication before, specifically during nursing school. Tufts testified that Clancy had reported trying an SSRI and did not report any side effects while taking it. 

Sprague asked Tufts if Clancy ever said she was hearing voices telling her to hurt herself, hurt other people, or kill someone. Tufts said that Clancy answered “No” to all of them. 

Tense moment in courtroom

Before testimony resumed just after noon on Friday, Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, claimed he heard prosecutors say “shut her up” on a hot mic, as Clancy cried during autopsy testimony on Thursday. 

“This is not like ‘Handmaid’s Tale.’ You can’t tape her mouth shut,” Reddington was heard saying to the judge before heading to sidebar.  

Lindsay Clancy psychiatrist testifies

The first psychiatrist to testify Friday was Dr. Alia Goodheart of McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Belmont where Lindsay Clancy was admitted for voluntary inpatient treatment on Jan. 1, 2023. She left early, after nearly five days, to attend her daughter Cora’s birthday party. Clancy then had follow-up outpatient treatment at McLean up until the murders on Jan. 24.

Goodheart said Clancy told her she was having side effects from medication and found it hard to sleep without medicine. The doctor testified Clancy was a low-level risk patient who was “anxious” and her diagnosis was “major depressive disorder, severe without psychotic features.”

When prosecutor Shanan Buckingham asked Goodheart about her observations of Clancy’s mental status, the doctor told the court, “I can’t remember certain elements … she was appropriately dressed, speech was normal rate and volume, she was polite and cooperative.”

Buckingham also asked Goodheart if she observed any signs of psychosis with Clancy, and the doctor replied, “No.” She also said Clancy was specifically asked if she had a plan to kill herself or harm others and “she denied it,” the doctor said.

“I did not have any concerns about her safety or a risk for anybody else,” Goodheart testified about discharging Clancy on Jan. 5, 19 days before the murders. “She had never stated that she had any thoughts of harming anybody else.” 

Clancy was then sent home with a two-week supply of Ativan and Trazodone, medicines to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Goodheart testified for about an hour before Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington began his cross-examination of her around 10:45 a.m. She finished testing just before 12:30 p.m. on Friday

“How many women have you treated that are suffering from postpartum psychosis?” Reddington asked her. After a long pause, Goodheart replied, “I haven’t seen any.”

The first psychiatrist to treat Lindsay Clancy, Dr. Jennifer Tufts, took the stand next.

Clancy’s mental health is a key issue at trial. Her ex-husband Patrick Clancy testified last week that she started making suicidal statements and told him she had thoughts of hurting the children after switching to a new medication in December 2022.

Lindsay Clancy trial day 9

The first witness on the stand Friday morning was Kimberlee Hardy, the former director of the Kingsbury Club, a fitness center in Kingston. She testified briefly about Cora and Dawson spending time in the playroom there in 2022 and early 2023 and that Lindsay Clancy “seemed happy to be with them” and always picked them up on time.

She was followed by the 58th witness for the prosecution, Sarah Carney of Duxbury, a friend of the Clancy family for several years. Carney was on the stand for about 10 minutes and spoke about seeing Lindsay Clancy after her treatment at McLean. Carney said Clancy appeared to be quiet and thinner.

Lindsay Clancy trial this week

On Thursday, a childhood friend testified that Clancy texted her and said she had been taking a medication that caused some “dark thoughts.” Clancy said she was trying to wean herself off the medication and try new ones to remove the side effects. Another friend said Clancy told her that she was feeling “like a zombie” shortly before the murders, and a coworker said Clancy reported “negative side effects from the medication.”

Clancy also wrote about her mental health struggles in diary entries that were read aloud in court on Monday.

“I feel like I’m drowning every day,” Clancy said in one entry.

On Tuesday, prosecutors showed the prescription pill bottles seized from the Clancy home after the murders. They say that while Clancy was prescribed several drugs for her mental health, she was not taking many pills from each bottle.

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.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.