Five days before Lindsay Clancy killed her three children and then tried to kill herself, she was googling psychosis symptoms and hallucinations.
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On Jan. 20, 2023, four days before the killings, she searched, “How to slit your throat to die,” “Can you turn airbags off on KIA Sorento,” and, “Can you treat a sociopath?”
Jurors heard about the information found on Clancy’s phone as her murder trial finished up its third week of testimony Thursday.
Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington plans to use an insanity defense, arguing that his client was suffering from postpartum psychosis and can’t be held criminally responsible for the children’s deaths.
Clancy’s notes
State Police Trooper Timothy Chiappini analyzed Clancy’s phone and took the stand to speak to its contents.
He read from a notes entry that was dated Oct. 24, 2022 and last modified on Nov. 3, 2022.
“I’m sad and depressed because I’m not able to parent my third child like my first,” Clancy wrote. “I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating him like my first.”
“Cal was so very planned and desired, I want to give him all the love he deserves,” she added, referring to the youngest child.
She noted that she was “on the fence” about starting a new medication and struggling with a decision to stop breastfeeding and start sleep training the baby.
Clancy expressed a desire to have more children, but thought she needed to find a good therapist before she could consider it.
After Cora, she’d had some depression but getting out of the house had helped.
Talking about an unspecified night, she wrote she was “not enjoying any of my children, it was really sad.”
“I have just fallen out of the habit of doing anything fun, for myself, with Pat,” she wrote.
Google searches and texts
In the month before she killed the kids, Clancy searched for things like, “world’s best organic baby food,” “best kids movie,” “unicorn picture free coloring,” “Paw Patrol,” “Chuck-E-Cheese,” and “fluffy slime recipe.”
But she also looked up her medications, of which she’d been prescribed many, as well as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
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“On seroquel, feel like I can’t have a conversation,” one search read.
In text messages with her mother, again read by Chiappini, Clancy reported feeling slightly better in the beginning of the month after a stint at a mental hospital during New Years.
But on Jan. 14, she texted her mother, “Hanging in there and waiting for the day I wake up feeling like myself.”
“Are you starting a new med,” Clancy’s mother texted her on Jan. 18.
“Started it two nights ago,” the defendant wrote back.
On Jan. 22, Clancy’s mother texted her: “Nice to see you doing better,” after a visit on Jan. 21.
January 24, 2023
Chiappini also read out Lindsay’s texts with Patrick Clancy on the day the children were killed, on Jan. 24.
Their morning messages were about Cora, who had gone to the doctor’s that morning for a stomach issue. Lindsay sent a photo of Cora and Dawson outside with a snowman they’d built.
“You’re a good momma,” Patrick texted back.
Later that day, the spouses texted about ordering takeout and picking up a medicine for Cora.
Lindsay searched the restaurant’s menu and children’s Pedia-Lax.
At 5:33 p.m. Patrick called her, but she didn’t answer.
A minute later, 5:34 p.m. Lindsay called him back. They spoke for 14 seconds.
Patrick called Lindsay again, but Lindsay didn’t answer.
When he got home, he found Lindsay on the lawn and the children in the basement.
Request for court visitor logs
The jury was sent home early. Then Judge William Sullivan heard arguments over the Commonwealth’s motion to request the log of who has been visiting Lindsay Clancy during the trial.
“In additional to medical staff… there have been other individuals who are permitted to go back there,” Buckingham said.
She said that Dr. Paul Zeizel, an expert witness who will testify to Clancy’s criminal responsibility, is one of them.
“We witnessed a priest go back there the other day,” she added.
“Your not looking for the name of the priest?” Sullivan asked.
“It’s Father Bobby,” Reddington interjected.
Bucking said the list “is information that may be necessary to cross-examine certain witnesses.”
“Here’s the list,” Reddington said, holding it up.
“They can just go from there to there,” he said, pointing from the prosecution’s desk to where the court officer is sitting.
Reddington explained that the priest baptized Clancy’s kids. He started to talk about yesterday’s emotional testimony, but the judge stopped him.
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Sullivan said he is only giving the Commonwealth info about Zeizel’s visits.
The trial will resume Monday morning.