Defense Expert Questions Prosecution Approach in Massachusetts Mother Murder Trial

Clear Facts

• Lindsay Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her three children under age 6, found strangled in their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in 2023
• Defense argues Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis when the deaths occurred, while prosecutors pursue first-degree murder charges
• Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno criticized prosecutors as appearing ‘tone deaf’ and ‘uncaring’ in their courtroom approach, potentially alienating jurors

The prosecution in a high-profile Massachusetts murder trial is drawing criticism for what legal experts describe as a disconnect with how jurors may be processing the emotional complexity of the case.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, is on trial for three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under the age of 6 — who were found strangled at the family’s Duxbury home in 2023. Prosecutors concluded their case Monday morning, and Clancy’s defense attorney has since begun presenting arguments asserting she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis when the deaths occurred.

Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney, told Fox News Digital she believes prosecutors are misjudging the jury’s emotional response to the case, citing specific courtroom moments as evidence.

“I understand that your job is to prosecute this murder case and you view this as a first-degree murder,” Rotunno said, “but in sort of ignoring the true emotion that this type of a case invokes, and by ignoring it, you are really tone deaf as to the way the jurors feel.”

One incident Rotunno highlighted occurred Tuesday when Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham asked Susan Clancy, Lindsay’s mother-in-law and a Catholic, if she knew murder was a “mortal sin.”

Susan Clancy offered no response to the question, prompting Judge William Sullivan to immediately call a sidebar and order the remark stricken from the record.

Rotunno said the prosecution has come across as “uncaring and snarky.”

She also noted that the testimony of Lindsay Clancy’s family members, particularly her mother-in-law Susan Clancy, represents a pivotal moment for the jury. Susan Clancy appeared deeply sympathetic to what Lindsay was experiencing. If the person with the most reason to grieve the children’s deaths stands behind Lindsay Clancy, Rotunno argued, jurors will find it difficult to view her as a cold-hearted murderer.

Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney, questioned Dr. Paul Zeizel, a clinical forensic psychologist, about the numerous times the mother sought help and was turned away.

“She felt that her brain was damaged. She felt that she should kill herself. And she’s never going to get any better,” Zeizel said on Wednesday, explaining why Lindsay Clancy felt she needed to get help.

When Lindsay Clancy sought help through a suicide hotline in December 2022, she was turned away, according to Zeizel.

“She called the suicide hotline,” Zeizel said.

“Did she receive any help from the suicide hotline?” Reddington asked.

“She did not,” Zeizel said, explaining that “They told us she did not meet the standard of care because she did not have a plan.”

She called the suicide hotline again, and according to Zeizel, didn’t receive help.

When asked by Reddington, Zeizel also testified that Lindsay Clancy thinks about her children constantly and “misses them.”

“And when you speak with her and meet with her doctor, has she ever mentioned her children? Because apparently, according to the questioning that you underwent, she never talks about her kids,” Reddington said.

“She does speak about her children,” Zeizel said. “She really loves them and misses them and thinks of them every single day. Almost every moment of the day.”

Also on Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan rejected a defense motion seeking to add Emily Thorndike, a former clinical social worker at McLean Hospital, to the witness list. The defense contended that Thorndike’s firsthand experience in the same short-term unit where Clancy received treatment could counter what it characterized as a misleading portrayal of the facility as a “five star” hospital offering unlimited treatment options that Clancy chose to decline.

“Her involvement in this case came about after one of the prosecutors — I don’t recall which — made it out on direct examination that McLean is some kind of a five-star institution where the doctors, the psychiatrists, the psychotherapists, and the counselors were all banging into each other in the hallway trying to interview Miss Clancy, who was just blithely refusing care and treatment, which is not the case,” Reddington said previously.

Sullivan didn’t allow her to testify in front of jurors, but did allow a request from Reddington to include certain records relating to McLean’s staffing when Lindsay Clancy was there, and programs it offers.

The defense will continue arguments on Thursday, as a group of people plan to support Lindsay Clancy outside the Plymouth County Superior Court by wearing pink. People who can’t attend are encouraged to organize a gathering in their city on Thursday morning, according to posts on social media.

Reddington told Fox News on Wednesday that closing arguments will be on Monday, and didn’t say if he’s made a decision on whether Lindsay Clancy will testify.

He said Lindsay Clancy is aware of the support she’s getting when asked about the solidarity gatherings in her support, with people wearing pink.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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