Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, appeared in court in person for the first time as her high-profile murder case moves toward trial.
Clancy was wheeled into Plymouth District Court on Friday for a motion hearing, appearing solemn as she listened to arguments about the next steps in the case. She has been paraplegic since January 2023, when prosecutors say she cut her neck and jumped from a window after allegedly strangling her children inside the family’s Duxbury home.
Until now, Clancy had appeared at hearings virtually from her hospital bed.
Judge William F. Sullivan scheduled the next court date for March 2, when attorneys are expected to argue several key issues — including Clancy’s request for a split trial.
Her defense team wants jurors to first decide whether she is legally responsible for the deaths of her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — who prosecutors say were killed with an exercise band.
If that phase moves forward, Clancy’s attorneys are asking for a second trial to determine whether she was suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time of the killings.
An independent mental health evaluation, requested by prosecutors, is scheduled for April 10. The judge made clear that the exam “is going forward on that date no matter what.”
During Friday’s hearing, Sullivan also asked whether Clancy wished to attend future proceedings in person. Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, said he would prefer that she continue appearing in court, though he emphasized concerns about her emotional state.
“I’m very protective of her, and I don’t want her to be stressed,” Reddington said afterward. He has repeatedly argued that Clancy was suffering from severe postpartum mental health issues at the time of the deaths.
Separate civil lawsuits filed by Clancy and her husband, Patrick Clancy, claim she was overprescribed multiple psychiatric medications in the months leading up to the tragedy. Court filings allege she was taking a combination of antidepressants, sleep aids, anti-anxiety medications, and mood stabilizers.
The lawsuits argue that the medications worsened her condition and led to hallucinations the day her children were killed. Clancy was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder following her arrest.
Outside court, Clancy’s mother described her daughter as “a loving mother, always has been.”
Clancy remains on suicide watch at Tewksbury State Hospital as she awaits trial, which is currently scheduled for July 2026 in Plymouth Superior Court.