Lindsay Clancy trial: Five jurors seated on first day of selection process
PLYMOUTH, Mass. —
Five jurors were selected Monday in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three children in 2023.
Clancy was indicted on three counts each of murder in the 2023 deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and 7-month-old son Callan. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
She became a paraplegic after harming herself in the immediate aftermath of her children's deaths.
Judge William F. Sullivan said he expected to seek 18 jurors for the case, which is expected to last six to eight weeks. In pretrial hearings, attorneys noted the strain that service in this case could put on jurors.
Prospective jurors are being asked to complete a questionnaire and review a witness list to ensure they don't have any connection to anyone who could testify. They were then called to speak with attorneys and the judge.
While conversations with the prospective jurors were held out of hearing range from reporters in the gallery, dozens were seen being excused during the first day. One woman appeared to be crying as she left the courtroom.
Three women and two men were seated during the first day of the process.
Background of the Clancy case:
- Lindsay Clancy faces three murder charges in the 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan.
- She also jumped from a second-floor window, leaving her partially paralyzed.
- In a civil case, Clancy alleges a "catastrophic failure" of multiple medical providers in diagnosing and treating her psychiatric condition.
- Her trial is scheduled to begin on July 20. Although her legal team offered to stipulate to the deaths of the children, she has pleaded not guilty.
- She is being held at Tewksbury State Hospital.
This case involves issues of mental health. If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can chat online here.
Preparation for the trial
The defense is planning to argue a lack of criminal responsibility, formerly known as the insanity defense. Attorney Kevin Reddington said she was being overmedicated for postpartum depression.
Her trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, and the witness list contains more than 200 names. Attorneys were ordered to develop a consolidated witness list, which can be shown to the prospective jurors to determine if any have prior knowledge of the witnesses.
Sullivan denied Reddington's request to sequester the jury, but promised to check in with the jurors daily to confirm they have appropriately avoided any media coverage or research outside of the courtroom.
Before jury selection began Monday, the prosecution raised a concern about some of the names added to the defense witness list. Reddington argued the witnesses could help Clancy's defense rebut claims that could be presented by the prosecution starting in opening statements, but the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution.
However, the judge left the door open to revisit the issue should another challenge arise during the trial.
Charges modified
Earlier this month, prosecutors moved to consolidate some of the charges, and her attorneys filed motions in anticipation of the jury selection process.
Court records show the prosecution filed a notice of nolle prosequi on three counts of strangulation or suffocation. NewsCenter 5 checked with the Plymouth County District Attorney's office, which said the charges were "redundant."
"The murders of the three Clancy children resulted from strangulation. As our motion states, the charges would be subsumed into the murder charges indicted," a spokesperson wrote.