'She was begging for help': Lindsay Clancy's former mother-in-law testifies

Lindsay Clancy's former mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, testified in her murder trial on Tuesday, telling jurors her former daughter-in-law had sought help for her postpartum mental health in the months before she killed her three children.

Susan Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, testified that she connected Lindsay Clancy with medical help from South Shore Health's Perinatal Behavioral Health Program after her then-daughter-in-law reached out to her in November 2022 to say she "felt unwell."

"She was begging for help," Susan Clancy testified.

According to Susan Clancy, Lindsay Clancy said she had experienced "insomnia" around that time and "was losing her appetite."

"She was very anxious and sad," she recalled.

Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges in connection with the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson, and infant son Callan at her family's home in the Boston suburb of Duxbury on Jan. 24, 2023.

Linsday Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, has argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her three children and attempted to take her own life, and that she was not properly treated for her condition in the months following the birth of her youngest child.

Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious medical emergency characterized by severe, rapid onset psychiatric episodes such as mania, depression or hallucinations. It can have rapid onset in the days or weeks after birth, research shows.

Prosecutors have argued that Lindsay Clancy is "criminally responsible" for the deaths of her children and have attempted to cast doubt on her claim that she was not properly treated for her mental health issues, arguing that she was not serious about treating her condition and changed doctors and medications frequently.

Susan Clancy says former daughter-in-law was a 'very nurturing' mother

Like other witnesses who have testified in the trial so far, Susan Clancy described Lindsay Clancy on Tuesday as a devoted mother who loved her three children.

"She was very nurturing, very loving," she said.

During Susan Clancy's cross examination, jurors heard messages between Lindsey Clancy and her former mother-in-law, with the former expressing concerns about the medications she had been prescribed.

Jurors have heard previous testimony about how Lindsay Clancy was prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications in the four months before she killed her children.

"I'm not okay, and I'm terrified of taking meds tonight," Clancy wrote in a message dated Nov. 30, 2022. "I was never ever this depressed. It was brought on by the medication."

In another message, Lindsay Clancy raised concerns that she was becoming dependent on Ativan -- a benzodiazepine medication used to treat anxiety and insomnia, among other conditions -- and that her doctors were not addressing the issue.

"I just deep down inside of me feel that I've developed a benzo dependence after just two weeks of using it, and I feel like no one is hearing that and addressing it, and we keep throwing different meds in the mix that aren't really addressing the real issue," Lindsay Clancy wrote.

Prosecutors also attempted to highlight that Susan Clancy tried to help Lindsay Clancy figure out her medications.

"There were a lot of medications," Susan Clancy testified.

Throughout her testimony on Tuesday, Susan Clancy emphasized that Lindsay Clancy's family was aware she was struggling and tried to assist her in finding help.

"Lindsay was struggling," she said. "We were all very concerned."

Defense expert suggests Lindsay Clancy's health care providers missed warning signs

Clinical and forensic psychiatrist Donald Condie also testified in court Tuesday as an expert for the defense.

Condie, who did not treat Lindsay Clancy, testified that he had reviewed medical records from Lindsay Clancy's former psychiatrists, assessing the different symptoms observed by the different medical providers who did treat her, and said they suggested the mother of three had reported experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression leading to postpartum psychosis prior to the killings.

Defense lawyers have argued that those providers did not properly communicate with one another and misdiagnosed Lindsay Clancy.

Condie pointed to medical records that stated Lindsay Clancy had shown signs of dissociation and brain fog and had experienced auditory hallucinations in December 2022 -- the month before she killed her children -- suggesting her medical providers may have missed critical warning signs.

Lindsay Clancy had reported at the time that she was unable to sleep, felt she was losing her connection with her children, was unable to feel emotions, and appeared out of touch with reality, he said.

"Dissociation can mean that people feel like things around them are not real," Condie testified. "At times, she reported that she had heard a voice."

On cross examination, Condie acknowledged that Clancy may have not reported all her symptoms over concerns about losing access to her children or risking her medical license.

Expert details the extent of Lindsay Clancy's injuries after suicide attempt

Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a forensic pathologist, testified later on Tuesday about Lindsay Clancy's injuries following her suicide attempt the night she killed her children.

According to Laposata, Lindsay Clancy's body temperature dropped to 82 degrees Fahrenheit after she cut herself and jumped out of a second-floor bedroom window.

"Her low body temperature came from lying on the hard frozen ground, which would be 32 degrees [Fahrenheit]," Laposata said. "She lost the ability to control her body temperature below that level, so that means all her blood vessels just dilate, and they just lose heat to the atmosphere."

Laposata, who also testified in Karen Read's highly publicized murder trial, told jurors that Lindsay Clancy also suffered a traumatic burst fracture -- a type of spinal fracture -- after she landed on the icy ground. The injury left her paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, Laposata said.

"What she got from that is what we call a characteristic burst fracture or a Jefferson fracture, and this is a fracture that we see with people who hit their head on, like, if they take a dive into a swimming pool and they hit their head on the bottom," she said.

Laposata also said she observed multiple "hesitation marks" -- incisions that cut through the skin and blood vessels -- on Lindsay Clancy.

"There was bleeding also from the wounds on the wrist, and there were numerous attempts at cutting the skin, which we call hesitation marks, which are a classic finding in suicide attempts," she testified.

Clancy's family testimony led defense's case on Monday

On Monday, Reddington called Lindsay Clancy's mother and sister to the stand as two of the defense's first witnesses.

Lindsay Clancy's mother Paula Musgrove told jurors the medication her daughter was taking in the months before the killings "was pretty much just destroying her mind, and it wasn't her."

"She said that 'This isn't me. I just want to feel better, and enjoy my kids again,'" Musgrove recalled.

Prosecutors rested their case on Monday after calling more than 70 witnesses over the course of three weeks. They may elect to present a rebuttal case after Lindsay Clancy's defense rests.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide -- free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.