The Lindsay Clancy Trial Mini Series: The Prosecution’s Argument

In episode three of our mini-series tracking the trial of Lindsay Clancy, we unpack the prosecution's opening statements and core arguments. Through 14 days of testimony and over 70 witnesses, prosecutors detailed Lindsay’s digital footprint, hospital records, and phone notes expressing maternal burnout. We examine key testimony from her ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, who recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her medical providers, as the court analyses Apple Watch health data, step counts, and the precise timeline of the evening Cora, Dawson, and Callan were killed. LINKS If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Contact Full Stop Australia https://fullstop.org.au/ on 1800 385 578, 7 days, 24 hours. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations https://www.instagram.com/truecrimeconversations/?hl=en Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] mailto:[email protected] or send us a voice note. https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960 Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. CREDITS Host & Executive Producer: Gemma Bath Producer: Ella Maitland Video Editor: Julian Rosario Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05Gemma Bath?

  Hi, I'm Gemma Bass, host of True Crime Conversations, and welcome back to our mini-series, unpacking the trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts, the case the entire world can't take their eyes off. We're going to be updating you multiple times a week in this feed as the court proceedings continue to unfold. Just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of violence against children and suicide. In our last episode, we took you through Lindsay and Patrick's lives in the aftermath, right up until the trial started. In episode three, we're going to outline the prosecution's case. It's day one of the trial. Unshackled and without handcuffs on, Lindsay Clancy is pushed out into the

• 0:47Gemma Bath?

  courtroom in her wheelchair. In opening statements, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanann Buckingham told the jury Lindsay deliberately and meticulously killed her children. As she described Cora, Dawson and Callan to the court, Lindsay could be seen distressed, weeping, head down. The prosecutor went on to acknowledge that Lindsay had health issues, but declared that she wasn't in the throes of psychosis when she strangled her children in the basement in January 2023.

• 1:20Speaker 01

  This was a woman who acted intentionally, rationally, and swiftly to accomplish a very specific goal, to kill. You'll see in here evidence about all the things that she did that day, what she did in the days leading up to this incident, leading to the murders. You'll hear her spending time with her family and friends. You'll hear her appearing to be in good spirits and doing better for all intents and purposes. On that very day, you'll hear she interacted with people at the doctor's office. She came home and took care of the kids. She talked to people on the phone and via text message. The evidence will show you she was not psychotic that day.

• 2:02Gemma Bath?

  Lindsay's defence counsel, Kevin Reddington, painted a very different picture of a woman suffering from psychosis, of a woman suffering from postpartum depression who had been prescribed a cocktail of medications in the lead up to the killings, of a woman who had told multiple people she was having suicidal ideations and was worried about hurting the children, who had continually tried to seek help from experts.

• 2:28Speaker 02

  This is not a righteous prosecution. They're looking for every single piece of evidence that they can to show some ridiculous concept that she wanted to kill her beautiful kids because she didn't want to be a mother anymore. This is a woman that was a nurse. She worked for one of the best hospitals in the country. She was in a labour delivery. You're going to hear from labour and delivery nurses that will tell you how dedicated she was. This is a woman that did not get the medication, did not get the medical treatment that she so deserved. This is a woman that was suffering from psychosis at the time

• 3:08Speaker 02

  that she went down to that basement. She had no motive. She loved her children. She intended to kill herself. She didn't fake that, threw herself out the window. Close to the hospital, you're going to see that when she's in the hospital, they said to her, you want to, what do you call it, a DNR? Do not resuscitate her. She absolutely did not want any DNR. Didn't want to be resuscitated. Wanted to die. To this day, wants to die.

• 3:39Gemma Bath?

  The prosecution's case included 14 days of testimony over roughly three weeks, with more than 70 witnesses called. Up first was Lindsay's husband, and it's important to note at this point that Patrick has openly shared his forgiveness for his ex-wife. In a GoFundMe posted four days after the killings, "He asked others to forgive her, as I have. Our marriage was wonderful and diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened", he wrote. "The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find some peace." In January 2026, he actually

• 4:23Gemma Bath?

  filed a civil lawsuit claiming wrongful death and medical malpractice on behalf of him and the children. In it, he alleges that Lindsay's providers mismanaged her medications and failed to recognise her deteriorating mental health, leading to suicidal thoughts and eventually the deaths of their children. Lindsay has filed a separate claim alleging negligence, medical malpractice and personal injury. Back to the court, while on the stand, Patrick talked about Lindsay's struggles with anxiety after the birth of each child and as she prepared to return to work, and how everything intensified after the birth of Callan.

• 5:06Speaker 03

  When had she been scheduled to go back to work?

• 5:10Speaker 04

  I don't remember the exact date, but I think it was October.

• 5:13Speaker 03

  So again, it was that pattern of as it became closer in time to go back to work, she started to struggle?

• 5:18Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 5:19Speaker 03

  During the times when she would get anxious, when it was time to go back to work and she would start being anxious, did you ever have any difficulty understanding her when she spoke?

• 5:30Speaker 04

  No.

• 5:31Speaker 03

  Did she ever exhibit any behaviour that made you concerned enough to call a doctor or want to commit her?

• 5:39Gemma Bath?

  Between the September of 2022 and January 2023, she was prescribed 13 medications by at least three different providers. But this gives you an idea of the kinds of details the prosecutor was keen for Patrick to highlight.

• 5:55Speaker 03

  Were you aware that out of the Zoloft prescription she was given, she only took seven pills?

• 6:02Speaker 04

  No.

• 6:09Speaker 03

  After you had the conversation with Lindsay where she said she was going to double the dose of Zoloft, did you notice any difference in her demeanour or behaviour?

• 6:19Speaker 04

  I would say yes. I don't know if I connected it with the doubling of her Zoloft, but over that period of time, she always, she just kept getting worse and worse.

• 6:32Speaker 03

  And what period of time was that? What month are we in?

• 6:35Speaker 04

  Mid-October to the end of December.

• 6:38Speaker 03

  Okay, so she got the prescription in September, started taking it in October, took seven pills, but was having difficulty in December. Is that what you're saying?

• 6:50Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 6:50Speaker 03

  From this medication?

• 6:51Speaker 04

  Yep. Well, I don't know which medication it was from, but yeah.

• 6:54Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 6:55Gemma Bath?

  Changes in Lindsay's sleep were also a big focus.

• 6:59Speaker 03

  Did you notice any changes in her sleep during that time when she was on the medication, but you weren't aware she was on it?

• 7:08Speaker 04

  Eventually, yeah.

• 7:10Speaker 03

  When was that?

• 7:12Speaker 04

  I don't remember the exact dates, but she just, you know, one night she said, "Do you mind?" She started by saying, "I'm not mad or anything, but do you mind sleeping in the basement and letting me just sleep in our room with Callan? And then you can take the monitors down in the basement and if Cora and Dawson get up, you can get up with them." She said, "I've just been having a lot of trouble sleeping and I'm hoping that like if there's less in and out, then there'll be less disruption."

• 7:46Speaker 03

  Had you noticed prior to her telling you this that she was up a lot or having trouble sleeping, like physically seeing her awake?

• 7:54Speaker 04

  No, not that I recall.

• 7:56Speaker 03

  And did you in fact start sleeping in the basement for a period of time?

• 8:00Speaker 04

  I think I did it for like two nights and then she actually went down in the basement.

• 8:03Speaker 03

  Okay, so then you went back up to your bedroom to sleep, is that correct?

• 8:06Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 8:07Speaker 03

  And how long did Lindsay sleep in the basement for after that?

• 8:13Speaker 04

  Maybe a couple of weeks.

• 8:15Gemma Bath?

  The prosecution's case focused heavily on highlighting how Lindsay was functioning, coherent and parenting effectively. She was still going out with her family, still participating in social events and even smiling in pictures with loved ones.

• 8:28Speaker 03

  And what types of things were you doing?

• 8:33Speaker 04

  We celebrated Halloween. I don't really remember what else, but I think we were doing things regularly.

• 8:40Speaker 03

  Do you recall going to an event with food trucks?

• 8:46Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 8:47Speaker 03

  And do you recall going to an event in November where there were trains to ride with the kids?

• 8:56Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 8:56Speaker 03

  Did you have plans for Thanksgiving that year?

• 8:59Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 8:59Speaker 03

  What were your plans?

• 9:01Speaker 04

  I believe the order was we went to Wallingford where her parents lived and the week before, and then the week after, we went to my sister's house.

• 9:14Speaker 03

  And where did your sister live? What town?

• 9:17Speaker 04

  Southampton.

• 9:18Speaker 03

  And that was a week after Thanksgiving? Is that correct?

• 9:24Speaker 04

  I think so, yeah. Yeah, it was.

• 9:27Gemma Bath?

  In early December 2022, Lindsay started taking a new antipsychotic medication. It was also around this time that she started to spiral.

• 9:36Speaker 04

  That was really where her big spiral started. She started to lose a lot of weight and she became very depressed and she was having a really hard time.

• 9:49Speaker 03

  And did she describe to you some thoughts or feelings that she was having at that time?

• 9:58Speaker 04

  Yeah, she started to say she was suicidal.

• 10:01Speaker 03

  And was that in December of 2022?

• 10:04Speaker 04

  I think so, yeah.

• 10:05Speaker 03

  And when she told you she was suicidal, did you ask her if she had a plan on how to kill herself?

• 10:12Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 10:13Speaker 03

  And what was her response?

• 10:15Speaker 04

  She said no.

• 10:18Speaker 03

  And did she ever mention a specific way or plan she had to kill herself to you?

• 10:23Speaker 04

  No.

• 10:26Speaker 03

  And at some point in time,

• 10:32Speaker 03

  did she tell you that this was the first time she had had suicidal thoughts?

• 10:38Speaker 04

  I don't know if she mentioned it was the first time or not. I just remember her saying she had them.

• 10:44Speaker 03

  Had you ever heard her say that to you before, that she was having suicidal thoughts?

• 10:48Speaker 04

  No.

• 10:52Speaker 03

  Did you own at that time a Surface Pro, type of tablet that works as a laptop?

• 10:57Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 10:58Speaker 03

  And who had access to that laptop?

• 11:01Speaker 04

  We both did.

• 11:03Speaker 03

  You and Lindsay?

• 11:04Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 11:05Speaker 03

  And going back to August 22nd, 2022, did you click on a link on that Surface Pro that was titled "Methods of Suicide"?

• 11:15Speaker 04

  Not that I recall.

• 11:16Speaker 03

  And August 22nd, 2022, that was before Lindsay had been on any medications, as far as you know, correct?

• 11:23Speaker 04

  Correct.

• 11:24Speaker 03

  Going back to December, she's told you that she's having these thoughts.

• 11:31Speaker 03

  What's your reaction when she tells you that she's having these suicidal thoughts?

• 11:37Speaker 04

  I just wanted to support her. I asked those questions back to her and

• 11:44Speaker 04

  her mother was coming up pretty regularly anyways, so we let them know and

• 11:51Speaker 04

  we just tried to be supportive.

• 11:53Gemma Bath?

  It was then that she told Patrick she'd been having intrusive thoughts of hurting the kids. The prosecution noted to the court that there was no mention of a man's voice telling her to do this at that time. She went to the emergency department twice in the December because of her suicidal thoughts. The second time, she was diagnosed with severe major depressive disorder without psychotic features and considered minimal risk.

• 12:20Speaker 03

  Were you aware that that night while at the hospital, Lindsay was taking selfies?

• 12:30Speaker 04

  Uh, no.

• 12:32Gemma Bath?

  After a multi-day stay at a Locktoward facility in early January, Patrick testified that Lindsay said she wasn't suicidal anymore. The prosecution said she asked to be discharged on January 5th so she could be home in time for Cora's birthday. As a family, in the weeks that followed, they visited a water park, Patrick went out to brunch with friends, leaving Lindsay with the children, and they took a trip to the Science Museum on January 8th. CCTV videos were shown to the court of Lindsay inspecting exhibits and helping her children interact with the displays.

• 13:05Speaker 04

  Lindsay was always able to interact with our kids, including at the Museum of Science.

• 13:11Speaker 03

  And then after your trip to the Museum of Science, do you remember going to the Charlie Horse Restaurant with the kids and Lindsay?

• 13:20Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 13:21Speaker 03

  And how soon after the Museum of Science was that? Do you recall?

• 13:26Speaker 04

  I don't recall the exact dates.

• 13:28Speaker 03

  Okay. And what type of place is the Charlie Horse Restaurant?

• 13:32Speaker 04

  It's like a family restaurant with games.

• 13:34Speaker 03

  And how was the defendant's demeanor at the restaurant?

• 13:41Speaker 04

  It was good. I was hopeful.

• 13:43Speaker 03

  Why were you hopeful?

• 13:44Speaker 04

  Because she seemed much better.

• 13:46Gemma Bath?

  16 days later, the children were dead. One by one, the doctors and clinicians who saw Lindsay in those months before were asked about whether they saw signs of psychosis. One said no, but in cross-examination, it was discovered she had never treated a patient with it before. The three who took the stand all said they considered and monitored Lindsay for bipolar disorder, not psychosis. The defense pointed out the condition is notoriously under-recognized and not standardized in diagnosis. Among the other witnesses to share testimony, state trooper Jonathan O'Loughlin said both the knife and exercise bands were fingerprinted, but there are things that can affect their reliability.

• 14:31Speaker 01

  Can you tell us what your findings were when it came to the knife?

• 14:35Speaker 05

  Yes, there was not enough characteristics or minutia to do any comparison, so it was deemed no value.

• 14:43Speaker 01

  And as far as the exercise bands, fair to say you also did the same and examined those to try to identify if they had any friction-rich detail or anything of value that you could conduct a comparison on, right?

• 14:56Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 14:56Speaker 01

  And was there any on either either the yellow band, the black band, or the blue band?

• 15:03Speaker 05

  No, there was not enough to do. No value.

• 15:05Gemma Bath?

  Emergency doctor Dr. Kelly McDonough testified Lindsay had hypothermia when she arrived at the hospital, along with her other injuries.

• 15:13Speaker 01

  And can you explain to us what could cause a person's body temperature to drop to, I think it was 82.1?

• 15:22Speaker 06

  There are many reasons, but it could be a metabolic disarray or exposure.

• 15:28Speaker 01

  In this circumstance, did you know what the source of the drop in the body temperature was for Ms. Clancy?

• 15:34Speaker 06

  No.

• 15:35Gemma Bath?

  The prosecution had the same doctor agree that the injuries Lindsay had on her wrists were not acute when she arrived in her trauma room and that they hadn't injured an artery or a vein. Lindsay's internet searches and diary-style entries from her phone's Notes app were also revealed in court, read out by Detective Timothy Chippiny.

• 15:55Speaker 07

  I'm sad and depressed because I am not able to parent my third child like my first. I want to treat any one of my babies like my first, but I know that's not a feasible possibility. I'm sad that I stopped breastfeeding. I feel not as connected with Cal now. I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby. And I know that's not fair to them. I know that. I was feeling so depressed last evening when Cora and Dawson came home from school. I know it runs off on them, so we had a pretty rough evening. I want to feel love and connection with all my kids. I'm also probably having a bit of an internal conflict because my whole life I've wanted to have a lot of kids. I still don't want Cal to be our last, but I have a lot of figuring out to do before I have another.

• 16:40Speaker 07

  I'm on the fence about starting a new medication for anxiety/depression. I just want to feel happy. I want to be able to relax and take care of my kids.

• 16:49Gemma Bath?

  Digital forensics expert Ian Whiffen spoke to the data extracted on her Apple phone and watch. He spoke about when exactly Lindsay moved around the house, around the time the children were killed.

• 17:00Speaker 03

  What we have here at 5:33 PM, you have the flight climb started, is that correct?

• 17:05Speaker 05

  Correct.

• 17:06Speaker 03

  And flight climb ended at 5:38, so that line again connecting them?

• 17:11Speaker 05

  Correct. So two flight climbs occurred during that time period.

• 17:14Speaker 03

  And in between when the flight climb started and the flight climb ended, you had the two calls, the incoming call that was missed from Patrick and then the outgoing call to Patrick, correct?

• 17:25Speaker 05

  Correct.

• 17:26Speaker 03

  So the first flight climbed had already been started. Someone had already started climbing up, was the flight of stairs, when that first unanswered call happened, correct?

• 17:37Speaker 05

  So "flight climb started" is how it's listed within the database and within the software. But actually, the flight climb time is when the flight climb has been recognized by the device as the device has already climbed up those stairs. So even though it says "flight climb started", that's technically the time that the flight climb, or the first flight climb had ended.

• 18:03Speaker 03

  So where it says 5:30, I'm sorry, 5:33, 34, "flight climb started", that actually indicates the person has gone up that first flight of stairs already?

• 18:14Speaker 05

  Yes, that indicates the phone has now realized I'm three meters higher than I was the last time I checked. Therefore, a flight climb has already been completed at that point.

• 18:25Speaker 03

  And then the calls happen and then the phone realizes at 5:38 that another flight has been climbed?

• 18:31Speaker 05

  Correct.

• 18:32Gemma Bath?

  And what her heart rate was doing?

• 18:34Speaker 03

  And what was the last time a heart rate was reported from the watch to the defendant's phone?

• 18:41Speaker 05

  So the last heart rate recorded was at 17:23:52, so 23 minutes past 5:00 in the afternoon with a heart rate of 57 beats per minute.

• 18:51Speaker 03

  What was the average heart rate for the day for the defendant's phone?

• 18:57Speaker 05

  There was a range of heart rates, going between as low as, I believe around 50 and as high as around 122. On average, it was around high 80s, early 90s.

• 19:11Speaker 03

  And so at 5:23 PM, the last recording of her heart rate was 57?

• 19:17Speaker 05

  Correct.

• 19:18Gemma Bath?

  The prosecution alleged Lindsay asked Patrick to run errands to create an opportunity to be alone with the children. They allege she researched how long the trip would take to know how much time she had. They claim she was functioning and parenting coherently and without issue up until the hours before the children's deaths. We're going to tell you more about the defense's stance in a future episode. They're currently still calling witnesses to testify. But interestingly, the defense did have this to say about the way the prosecution has been carrying out this trial.

• 19:52Speaker 02

  This is a murder trial, very serious business. I have worked really hard to pull this case together with expert witnesses, civilian witnesses, private investigators been investigating. I provide everything to them as soon as I get it. And they have been doing the same with me. I haven't objected to one thing.

• 20:13Gemma Bath?

  You'll hear more from the defense in the next episode of this mini-series, Unpacking the Lindsay Clancy Trial. Thank you for listening to True Crime Conversations. We'll be back soon.

• 20:37Gemma Bath?

  You know the drill. You pick the couch, pay the deposit, then wait 12 weeks praying it matches the living room. Let's skip that. Mamma Mia is giving one lucky subscriber a $5,000 voucher for B2C furniture to spend on pieces that are in stock and ready to ship right now. High-end style, zero weight. To enter, head to mamamia.com.au/subscribe. You'll unlock all our subscriber-only podcasts, articles, and our fitness app, Move. Already subscribed? You're already in the running. Offer ends October 31st. T's and C's apply.