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Patrick Clancy, nan begetter of 3 young children strangled wrong their Massachusetts home, became nan first witnesser Monday successful his ex-wife’s execution trial, offering jurors a harrowing relationship of nan mental wellness decline he witnessed earlier their deaths.
He was nan first witnesser called successful nan proceedings of Lindsay Clancy, who faces execution charges successful nan deaths of nan couple's 3 children successful January 2023. Prosecutors reason she acted deliberately, while defense attorneys contend terrible intelligence unwellness drove her actions.
Patrick described watching his then-wife autumn into a "big spiral" aft she began taking Seroquel, testifying that she mislaid weight, became severely depressed and began expressing suicidal thoughts.
"Awful," he said erstwhile asked really Lindsay was doing physically aft starting nan medication. "That was really wherever her large spiral started. She started to suffer a batch of weight, and she became very depressed, and she was having a really difficult time."
LINDSAY CLANCY’S HUSBAND COULD TESTIFY FOR HER AT TRIAL OVER DEATHS OF THEIR THREE CHILDREN
Patrick Clancy took nan guidelines Monday and described watching his woman autumn into a "big spiral" earlier she allegedly strangled their 3 young children wrong nan family’s Massachusetts home. (Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger)
Patrick besides testified that Lindsay told him she was experiencing intrusive thoughts astir harming their children, though she denied having a scheme and said nan thoughts disturbed her.
"I ne'er saw Lindsay harm nan kids," he told jurors.
Patrick Clancy exits Plymouth Superior Court, Plymouth, Mass., connected Monday, July 27, 2026. His ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, is connected proceedings for nan execution of their 3 children. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Margaret McLean, a erstwhile criminal charismatic and proceedings lawyer who teaches rule astatine Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, said Patrick’s measured transportation did small to conceal nan anguish of a begetter being forced to retrace nan months preceding his children’s deaths.
"I deliberation his demeanor connected nan guidelines is really rather clinical. He’s telling it arsenic it is," McLean told Fox News Digital. "You tin spot nan anguish wrong this man’s eyes, his facial expressions. You tin show he’s anguished up there, and it’s a horrible point to person to relive and talk about."
McLean said Patrick appeared to beryllium compartmentalizing his emotions arsenic he listened cautiously to nan questions and provided straightforward answers.
"He’s sewage to get done this," she said. "He’s sewage to perceive to nan questions and supply nan answers arsenic champion he can, and I deliberation that he’s doing that."
Lindsay Clancy reacts arsenic nan specifications of her children's deaths are publication successful tribunal connected Monday. (Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger)
HEATED LINDSAY CLANCY COURTROOM EXCHANGE OVER 911 CALL, CRIME SCENE PHOTOS SETS STAGE FOR MOM’S MURDER TRIAL
Patrick testified that he was not concerned for nan children’s information erstwhile Lindsay first shared that nan intrusive thoughts were telling her to wounded herself arsenic good arsenic her children. Moments aft discussing nan thoughts, he said, she could beryllium seen making nan children lunch, playing pinch them aliases preparing them for bed.
Patrick told jurors that he became alarmed aft Lindsay was prescribed 13 psychiatric medications successful nan months anterior to nan murders and that he pushed for an in-person assignment because he believed location was a "disconnect" betwixt nan seriousness of her information and nan little telehealth sessions she was receiving.
"It seemed for illustration astir of her telehealth appointments were beautiful quick, and location conscionable wasn’t, like, a batch of attention," he said.
Patrick besides described taking Lindsay to infirmary emergency departments and helping her participate McLean Hospital aft she continued expressing suicidal thoughts.
He testified that he "would person paid anything" if security had go an obstacle to keeping her hospitalized.
Lindsay Clancy was indicted connected 3 counts each of execution successful nan 2023 deaths of her 5-year-old girl Cora, 3-year-old boy Dawson and 7-month-old boy Callan. She pleaded not blameworthy to nan charges. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via Pool)
The grounds could time off jurors asking whether nan informing prompted an capable response, McLean said, while cautioning against placing blasted connected Patrick aliases family members who whitethorn not person understood nan severity of nan risk.
"So galore group don’t understand intelligence wellness today, truthful I’m not blaming him astatine all," McLean said. "Anybody mightiness person done what he did, but that’s nan portion that frightened me."
WATCH: Lindsay Clancy clutches tissues arsenic jurors perceive astir her 3 children
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Patrick’s grounds followed starkly different opening statements from prosecutors and nan defense.
Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham told jurors that Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, were "deliberately and meticulously killed" by their mother connected Jan. 24, 2023.
Buckingham alleged that Clancy deliberately sent Patrick from their Duxbury location to prime up medicine and takeout food, giving herself capable clip to strangle each kid pinch an workout set earlier attempting to termination herself.
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McLean said Buckingham gave jurors a "roadmap of cold, calculated intent" while humanizing each child's interests and focusing connected nan clip and beingness effort required to transportation retired 3 abstracted strangulations.
"The prosecution did that because she [Buckingham] wants nan assemblage to retrieve that nan enactment of strangulation takes clip and beingness effort," McLean said. "It requires a conscious prime to proceed 3 abstracted times."
Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham delivers her opening connection successful tribunal connected Monday. (Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger)
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The Commonwealth’s strategy, she said, is to cull nan defense’s bid that Clancy suffered a abrupt psychotic break and alternatively represent her arsenic organized, purposeful and controlled.
During opening statements, defense lawyer Kevin Reddington conceded that Clancy killed nan children but based on that nan only meaningful conflict is what was happening wrong her mind.
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"She knows that she killed these children," Reddington told jurors. "The rumor for information is what was going connected successful that woman’s mind."
McLean described nan concession arsenic a calculated move by a seasoned proceedings attorney.
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"By doing that, he is attempting to portion nan prosecution of their daze worth and unit nan assemblage to look purely astatine Lindsay Clancy’s intelligence capacity," she said.
Reddington based on that Clancy had nary motive to termination children she had loved and nurtured. He besides displayed schematic infirmary photographs showing Clancy pinch injuries to her cervix and wrists.
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Lindsay Clancy's execution proceedings is expected to past six to 8 weeks, and nan witnesser database contains much than 200 names. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via Pool)
McLean said nan defense was framing Clancy’s paralysis "not arsenic a consequence of a crime, but arsenic nan tragic last denotation of a complete postpartum psychotic break."
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Clancy, a erstwhile labour and transportation caregiver astatine Massachusetts General Hospital, has pleaded not blameworthy to 3 counts each of execution and strangulation. Her attorneys do not conflict that she killed nan children but reason that she lacked criminal work because of terrible postpartum psychosis.
Judge William Sullivan told jurors that nan Commonwealth must beryllium beyond a reasonable uncertainty that Clancy was criminally responsible erstwhile nan children were killed.
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"It’s going to beryllium achromatic and achromatic for immoderate people, grey area for different people," McLean said. "It is going to beryllium 1 of nan hardest things that this jury, aliases immoderate jury, will ever person to decide."
