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When we left off last week, the trial of Lindsey Clancy had only just begun. During the first two days of testimony, jurors heard dramatically different versions of what happened inside that Clancy home. They listened to the heartbreaking testimony of Lindsay's former husband, Patrick Clancy, and the devastating 911 call that captured the moments that he discovered his three young children dead inside their home. This week, the prosecution begins filling in those blanks. Through the testimony of first responders, investigators, and the medical teams who fought to save Lindsay and her children, jurors began to piece together what happened that night. Minute by minute, we also finally get answers to one of the biggest questions surrounding this case. What medications was Lindsay actually taking? And what did her toxicology report show? And for the first time, the jury hears entries from Lindsay's own journal, offering a rare glimpse into. Into what she was thinking in the weeks leading up to the deaths of her children. And finally, we hear from someone who knew what life inside the Clancy home looked like long before this tragedy. The family's former nanny, Elaine Rossi. Prosecutors have already told jurors that they believe that Lindsay was controlling, meticulous, and manipulative. But do the people who actually lived and worked around her see the same person? Elaine Rossi is about to give the jury a firsthand look inside that home. And her testimony could either reinforce the prosecution's theory or. Or undermine it completely. This is the 13th juror podcast where we unravel complex court cases, investigations, and true crime stories. From high profile trials to the mysteries that still leave questions unanswered. We examine the facts, weigh the evidence, and explore the arguments shaping each story, just as the jurors do. I'm your host, Brandy Churchwell. Today's episode is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs Lindsay Clancy. The trial part two. With Patrick Clancy's emotional testimony behind them, prosecutors began painting a devastating picture of the aftermath inside the Clancy home. On that cold January evening. The jury also stepped outside the courtroom for what is known as a jury view. The jurors loaded up on a bus, along with the attorneys and court staff, and visited the Clancy home, the CVS where Patrick picked up Cora's medication, and the restaurant where he collected the family's takeout. That night. The view gave jurors an opportunity to physically understand the timeline and geography at the center of this case. That includes the layout of the home, the relationship between the basement and the second story window, and. And the distances that Patrick traveled while he was away. And remember, prosecutors allege that Lindsay deliberately sent Patrick on those errands to give herself enough time to carry out a plan. The defense argues that her actions were not the product of rational calculation, but of psychosis. So seeing these locations firsthand may help jurors evaluate those competing arguments in a way that pictures and maps and testimony just can't. And under Massachusetts law, what jurors observe during a view may be considered as evidence when they ultimately reach their verdict. Now, back inside the courtroom, the prosecution began reconstructing what first responders encountered when they arrived at the Clancy home and the desperate effort to save Lindsay and her children. On Thursday alone, 10 first responders took the stand, and that was a short day in court. That testimony continued on Friday and then into this week with several police officers, along with emergency room physicians and nurses who treated Lindsay and the children. Now, rather than walk you through each person's name and testimony, especially because much of this overlapped, I'm going to combine their accounts and give you the clearest possible picture of what they said happened that evening. But I do want to warn you, this section is going to be extremely difficult to hear. These were trained first responders, people whose jobs require them to walk into unimaginable situations. And many of them still could not hold back their tears on the witness stand. So if hearing detailed descriptions involving the children is something that you need to avoid, I totally get it. Just fast forward about seven minutes. It was 6:11pm when the call came over the radio directing officers to the Clancy home. When first responders arrived, they could hear Patrick in the backyard screaming for help. They found him beside Lindsey, who was lying on the ground beneath the second story window with cuts to her wrists and her neck. She was drifting in and out of consciousness and appeared to be in significant pain. As two police officers and the fire captain began helping Lindsey, Patrick ran back inside to find his children. Moments later, his screams began echoing from the basement. The fire captain moved toward a small basement window. It's the kind that's set at ground level outside, but near the ceiling inside the basement. So looking down through the glass, he saw Patrick. He was removing something that had been wrapped around one of the children's necks. Then came the message over the radio saying he can't wake them up. The captain immediately issued an all call, ordering every available Duxbury responder to the scene. Two officers ran inside and followed Patrick's screams down the basement stairs. At the bottom, they found him frantic and crying out that he could not wake up his children. And then the officers saw them. As they moved closer, Patrick looked up and screamed, she killed the Fucking kids. Dawson was lying motionless on his back. His face and lips were blue. His body was pale and his eyes were bloodshot from broken blood vessels. Red marks circled his neck. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Officer Brian Josephine lifted Dawson from the floor, carried him up the stairs and rushed him into the driveway just as an ambulance arrived. Paramedics immediately began cpr, inserted a breathing tube and administered emergency medication as they tried to restart his heart. They continued working on him as the ambulance raced toward the hospital. The officer then ran back into the basement where responders had found Cora and eight month old Callan lying beside one another on the floor. Cora was pale with blue lips and bloodshot eyes. There was dried blood around her mouth and a small spot of blood on the floor beside her. She also was not breathing and had no pulse. Responders began chest compressions, secured her to a backboard and carried her upstairs to another waiting ambulance. Paramedic Jennifer Stratton ran to Callan. She saw marks around the baby's neck, checked for a pulse, and immediately began cpr. When another ambulance arrived, Stratton scooped him up into her arms, carried him up the stairs and rushed him outside as the desperate effort to save him continued. Within minutes, all three children were being transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. Patrick remained in the kitchen, frantic screaming and visibly in shock. First responders became so concerned about his condition that they requested an ambulance for him as well. Outside, Lindsay had been secured to a backboard and placed in a cervical collar. Because responders suspected a spinal injury. She moaned in pain as they bandaged the cuts to her wrists and prepared her for transport. During the ambulance ride, paramedics established two IV lines and administered Narcan after observing symptoms that they believed could could be consistent with an opioid overdose. Lindsay became more agitated afterward, reaching out and grabbing with her arms. But she never became fully alert or spoke. She was taken first to South Shore Hospital, where scans revealed an injury to her thoracic spine. Although she was breathing on her own, doctors intubated and sedated her to protect her airway. Approximately four hours later, she was flown by Med flight to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. During the night, her condition suddenly deteriorated. A code Blue was called and the room filled with medical personnel fighting to stabilize her. She required one on one nursing care, remained under constant police supervision, and was placed on suicide watch. Lindsay remained sedated and intubated until January 30th. After the breathing tube was removed, a nurse described her as alert and aware of where she was but. But also flat and emotionless. She complained that she couldn't sleep, but otherwise displayed little outward emotion. And on February 3, she was transferred out of intensive care. While doctors fought to stabilize Lindsay, three separate medical teams were trying to save her children. Dawson arrived at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth without a heartbeat. For approximately 40 minutes, doctors performed CPR, administered emergency medication and searched for any sign of cardiac activity. But his heart never started beating again. Dawson was pronounced dead at 7:28 that evening. Cora also arrived without a heartbeat and was not breathing on her own. Her pupils were fixed and enlarged, indicating a devastating brain injury. Doctors inserted a breathing tube, continued CPR and worked on her for about 30 minutes. But Cora could not be saved. She too was pronounced dead that night. Then there was baby Callan. The 8 month old arrived in cardiac arrest, but after approximately 10 minutes of resuscitation, doctors detected a heartbeat. Callan was still alive, but he showed no apparent signs of brain function and appeared to be in a coma. He was flown to Boston Children's Hospital where doctors found severe swelling and evidence that his brain had been deprived of oxygen and blood. His little heart was beating on its own, but he did not respond to voices, touch or pain. Further testing ultimately confirmed that Callan met the medical criteria for brain death. On January 27, three days after he was found on the basement floor, he was removed from life support. We'll be right back. Does anyone feel like August is the Sunday of summer? It's that time of year where I start looking ahead to fall and thinking about simplifying things, including my closet. I've realized that I don't need a ton of clothes. I just need some really good pieces that I know I'm going to wear over and over again. And that's one of the reasons that I absolutely love Quince. They specialize in effortless, high quality essentials, from ultra soft organic cotton to premium Mongolian cashmere. And everything is beautifully made, it's designed to last, and it's easy to dress up or down, depending on what your day looks like. They also have premium stretch denim starting at just $50. And honestly, it has the fit and quality that you'd expect from brands that cost so much more. But what really sold me is their lightweight Mongolian cashmere tee. Y', all. I reach for that shirt constantly. It is unbelievably soft. It fits so well without feeling bulky, and it literally goes with everything, whether I'm recording, running errands, or heading out to dinner. It's one of those pieces that always looks put together without me having to think about definitely exceeded my expectations and it's become one of those staples that I automatically grab when I'm getting dressed. Another thing I appreciate is that Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middleman, so you're getting incredible quality without paying luxury brand markups. In fact, everything is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. And it's not just clothing, they also have beautiful bedding, bath essentials, kitchen staples and thoughtfully designed furniture. Upgrade your everyday Download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com brandy get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too. That's Q-U-I-N C-E.com brandy. The Medical Testimony and the first responder Testimony with everything involving the children especially, it was extraordinarily difficult to hear. But with all of that, there were two important takeaways. First, it showed the jury just how chaotic and devastating that night was, but it also raised a concern for me. More than a dozen witnesses described many of the same moments. Was it important for the jury to understand what happened? Absolutely. But much of the testimony became repetitive, or in legal terms, cumulative. That means that the jury had already heard enough evidence to establish a particular fact, but yet more witnesses continued proving the same thing. Now that can become a legal issue when the testimony is this emotionally overwhelming. Nearly all evidence against a defendant is prejudicial in the ordinary sense because it hurts the defendant's case. But the concern is unfair prejudice when evidence stops helping jurors understand the facts and begins influencing them primarily through sadness and anger or outrage. Now this is what lawyers mean when they say evidence could inflame the passions of the jury. The fear is that jurors may begin deciding the case based on how the testimony made them feel, rather than whether the prosecution proved every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Now that doesn't mean that the judge was wrong to allow it. But the more repetitive, emotionally devastating testimony becomes, the stronger that potential defense argument may be. Now, the second major takeaway involved the severity of Lindsay's injuries, and I believe this will become an important battle throughout the trial. There's no dispute that Lindsay suffered a catastrophic spinal injury when she jumped from the window. She's now paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. Multiple medical professionals also testified that she was suffering from severe hypothermia, but the disagreement centers on the cuts that she made to her wrists and neck and what those wounds may reveal about the seriousness of her attempt to end her own life. Prosecutors repeatedly emphasize that the first responders did not see blood actively pouring from those wounds during the approximately 18 minute ambulance ride. Blood didn't pool beneath Lindsay, and the bandages around her wrist did not become saturated. Responders did not believe that she was losing enough blood to require a tourniquet, and the lacerations were not treated immediately in the hospital because her other injuries were considered more urgent. But the defense pushed back against describing these wounds as superficial. The responders who initially saw the cuts were examining Lindsey outside. This is a dark backyard during an extremely chaotic emergency, and by the time she was in the ambulance, her wrists had already been bandaged, and a cervical collar covered much of her neck. The paramedics could testify about the amount of bleeding that they observed, but they didn't necessarily have a clear view of the wounds themselves. The defense also introduced pictures showing blood on the bedroom floor and nightstand and on the ground beneath the window, and it even soaked through Lindsay's clothing onto her bra. Her hospital records reportedly described one wrist laceration as three and a half centimeters deep and another as two centimeters deep. But what's probably even more important is the defense points out that Lindsay lost enough blood that she actually had to have a blood transfusion. They also raised the cold weather as a possible explanation for why responders did not see more active bleeding. Cold temperatures can constrict blood vessels near the skin, while exposed blood can begin to clot and dry. Now, that doesn't prove how serious the wounds were, but it supports the defense's argument that limited bleeding at the time that first responders arrived does not necessarily mean that the cuts were only superficial. But one piece of testimony that I thought added some important context here came later on. This is from the physician's assistant who actually repaired Lindsay's wrist injuries. So he testified on Wednesday that while several of the wrist cuts were indeed superficial, there was one laceration on Lindsay's right wrist and one on her left wrist that were different. These are the ones I mentioned earlier. Now, he described them as severe enough to require repair. According to his testimony, the wound on the right was about 3 centimeters, and he closed it with three sutures or stitches. The one on the left was 2 centimeters deep, and he repaired it with one suture. During cross examination, defense attorney Kevin Reddington highlighted the repeated use of the word superficial, suggesting that the prosecution may have been oversimplifying Lindsay's injuries. Now, at the same time, it's important to remember that this testimony doesn't necessarily mean that other medical providers are wrong. The trauma surgeons were describing Lindsay's overall condition when she arrived, whereas the physician's assistant was specifically discussing the individual wounds that he personally repaired. So both things can be true. Most of her injuries may have been superficial, while two wrist lacerations were deep enough to require stitches. Now, the disagreement here is about much more than just the wounds themselves. The prosecution appears to be laying the groundwork to argue that Lindsay's attempt to take her own life to was maybe not as serious as it initially appeared. The defense, however, is arguing that the darkness, the cold, the bandages, and the urgency of her spinal injuries prevented first responders from fully assessing those wounds. And the physical evidence and hospital records and the stitches tell a much different story. There was also a noticeable difference in Lindsay's demeanor as this testimony unfolded. As witnesses described the frantic effort to stabilize her injuries and save her life, Lindsay remained largely stoic at the defense table. But when the testimony shifted to the desperate attempts to revive her children, that composure appeared to break. She lowered her head and could be seen visibly crying as witnesses recounted everything that they did to try to save Cora, Dawson and Callan. There was also quite a bit of crime scene testimony presented this week. Some of it helped to fill in the sequence of what investigators believed happened that night. While other testimony highlighted the limitations of the physical evidence. For example, investigators were unable to find any usable fingerprints from either the kitchen knife or the exercise bands that were believed to have been used to kill the children. In the grand scheme of things, I don't know how important that really is, since nobody's denying that Lindsay wrapped the bands around the children and also cut herself with a knife. But there was a significant amount of time spent on testifying about this. Jurors also heard from blood stained pattern analyst Sherry Cook, who walked them through what investigators found inside the house. One thing, she pointed out was that there actually wasn't much blood in the basement where the children were found. There was one small stain that she described as either a transfer or a saturation stain. And jurors later learned through DNA testing that it belonged to Cora. Crook testified that it was not consistent with a major bleeding event occurring in the basement, suggesting that although Cora's blood was present there, she had not suffered a significant bleeding injury in that room. Instead, most of the blood evidence was upstairs in the primary bedroom. Investigators found circular drops of blood, overlapping stains and smears that suggested that someone had been standing in one area while blood continued to drip before moving through the room. Now the blood was Also found on the mirror, the nightstand, the windowsill, even outside in the snow below the window. Why does that matter? Because when you put all of that together, prosecutors say that it paints a timeline. They argue that it shows that Lindsay's neck and wrist injuries happened upstairs after the children had already been attacked downstairs. But, and this is an important distinction that doesn't necessarily end that conversation, because the defense isn't disputing that there is a sequence to what happened. Their argument is that someone experiencing severe psychosis can still carry out actions in an organized order. So even if the prosecution is right about the timeline, which nobody's disputing, the defense says that the real question for the jury isn't when Lindsay injured herself. It's whether she was mentally capable of understanding the nature and wrongfulness of what she was doing together. All of this testimony painted a devastating picture of what happened inside the Clancy home and of the desperate effort to save four lives that night. But the central question in this trial is not what Lindsay did. It's whether her mental state left her criminally responsible for doing it. And once the physical aftermath had been established, the testimony finally began turning toward that exact question. We'll be right back. This episode is sponsored by Vented. Can we talk about how easy it is to accumulate clothes? I'll buy something because I love it, and I'll wear it a couple of times, and then somehow it ends up sitting in my closet for months or years. And every time I clean out my closet, I think, why am I hanging on to all of this? That's one of the reasons that I started using Vented. It's a secondhand app that makes it really easy to sell clothes that you're no longer wearing and earn a little extra money instead of letting them collect dust in your closet. What I liked most was how simple the whole process was. Listing an item only takes a few minutes. And once something sells, Vented creates the prepaid shipping label for you, so you don't have to figure all of that out yourself. It made finally cleaning out my closet feel a lot less overwhelming. And another thing I appreciate is that there are no seller fees, so you actually keep everything you earn from your sales. That made it feel worthwhile to go through my closet and list more than just one or two items. It's amazing how much value can be sitting in clothes that you simply aren't wearing anymore. I also love that after clearing out pieces, I wasn't reaching for anymore. I had more room in my closet for the things I truly love and Wear all the time. It just feels so much less cluttered. Ready to clean out your closet and make some extra money? Download the Vented app for free and start listing. With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn. And for a limited time, enjoy free shipping in the US On Vinted. Once the testimony established the physical aftermath of that night, the focus began to shift toward the question at the heart of this trial. What was happening inside Lindsay's mind? Her medical records noted that she had been receiving treatment for postpartum depression, and one entry in her chart referenced postpartum psychosis, but that notation was not presented as a final diagnosis. The psychiatric team evaluating Lindsay after the deaths was still trying to determine exactly what she was experiencing. And evaluating her was not easy. When forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jalam Biswas first met with Lindsay at Brigham and Women's Hospital on January 26, two days after the children were killed, Lindsay was awake but still intubated. She couldn't speak, so she motioned for something to write with, like motioning for a pen and paper. So she was given a pen and paper, and when the doctor asked about her mood, Lindsay wrote one word. Horrified, she then began to ask other questions. She asked, do I have an attorney? Is my body broken? Are my legs straight? And can I have visitors? Lindsay appeared anxious and needed several breaks, but her written responses were relevant to the questions that she was being asked. Now, this is during a brief 20 to 30 minute evaluation, but the doctor didn't observe any obvious signs of psychosis. That detail may sound significant, but. And prosecutors will almost certainly argue that it is, but you kind of have to keep it in context here. This was one brief encounter two days after the deaths while Lindsay was critically injured, intubated, medicated, and unable to speak. It tells the jury what one psychiatrist observed during one limited snapshot in time, but it does not by itself answer what Lindsay's mental state had been when she killed her children. Her condition also changed throughout her hospitalization. Lindsay endured major surgeries, cardiac arrest, heavy sedation, and other serious medical complications. At times, she became delirious and experienced visual hallucinations, symptoms that doctors believed could have been related to her physical trauma, anesthesia, medication, or a lack of oxygen rather than an underlying psychiatric disorder. Now, while she remained intubated, Lindsay communicated through a whiteboard. She asked to change her health care proxy from Patrick to her parents. Then, on the night of February 2, she asked to contact her attorney. The nurse documented that request because it was the first time that Lindsay had made any direct reference to the legal case. And a social worker was contacted to help arrange that. Now the jury also heard broader testimony about psychosis and bipolar disorder. One important point was that psychosis does not necessarily prevent someone from making decisions or carrying out a plan. A person can be psychotic and still appear organized or purposeful. And that matters because the prosecution alleges that Lindsay planned the killings, while the defense argues that even if she took those deliberate steps, those actions were driven by a delusional mind. The jury also heard a simple explanation of bipolar disorder. It's a mood disorder involving episodes of depression and periods of mania or hypomania. During those elevated periods, a person may sleep very little, experience racing thoughts, become impulsive or irritable, and behave in ways that feel out of control. In more severe cases, mania can include psychosis. That testimony became especially relevant when the discussion turned to Lindsay's medications. The toxicology report answered one big question that had been hanging over this case. Lindsay Clancy did not have alcohol or illegal drugs in her system. But what she did have were several prescription psychiatric medications, including Ativan, evidence of Valium, and the different things that it metabolizes into Lamictal, Seroquel, Remeron, and Trazodone. Now, we know that over several months, Lindsay had been treated by different psychiatric providers and prescribed medications from several categories. Categories including antidepressants, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and sleep medications. Trazodone, for example, is an antidepressant that is also frequently prescribed as a sleep aid. But the jury heard that antidepressants must be prescribed carefully when bipolar disorder is suspected, because without a mood stabilizer or similar protection, they can sometimes worsen agitation or. Or trigger a manic episode. There was also testimony that beginning an antidepressant can, in some patients, increase suicidal thoughts. Now, there were multiple prescription bottles recovered from the home with varying numbers of pills remaining in each. But the pill count alone does not establish exactly what Lindsay took on January 24th or when she took it, or how much was active in her system. And the toxicology report doesn't tell us whether those medications were prescribed appropriately or whether they were causing impairment or whether she was over medicated. It basically just tells us that they were present. One forensic toxicologist testified that of the medications measured, only one was slightly above the typical therapeutic range. Therapeutic meaning the level of concentration of the drug in the blood that is expected in order to reach the desired effect. But he was quick to point out that slightly elevated does not mean toxic. In fact, he testified that the level Was nowhere near what would typically be seen in someone who was trying to overdose or die by suicide. He explained that people attempting suicide with that particular medication usually ingest handfuls of pills, and Lindsay's blood concentration wasn't even close to those levels. He also noted that some of her other medication levels were actually below the normal therapeutic range. Now, the debate over what those medications actually meant and whether they played any role in her mental state is something that the expert witnesses will have to answer, not the toxicology report itself. So aside from just knowing what was in Lindsay's system at the time, all of this testimony described Lindsay after the killings or explained mental illness in general. It still didn't give the jury a direct view into her mind before January 24th. But all of that changed when investigators described what they found. During a search of the Clancy home. Police recovered discharge paperwork from McLean Hospital containing instructions for three medications. They also found mental health books and notebooks. One was titled Good moms have Scary thoughts, and Lindsay had used it to keep track of her medications. Another was the Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety workbook, Although that book had not yet been filled out. And then there was Lindsay's journal. For the first time, the jury heard her own words as she tried to explain what was happening inside her mind. The prosecution introduced entries from Lindsay's personal journals. And as you might expect, they didn't read every page. And that's not unusual. Lawyers almost never do. But instead, they selected the portions they believed best supported their theory of the case. Remember, the prosecution's theory is that Lindsay was an incredibly controlling person. They argue she needed everything to be done a certain way. And when life became overwhelming and she could no longer maintain that level of control, she murdered her children. So the excerpts that they chose to read reflected that theme. But now here's where things got interesting. During cross examination, the defense argued that reading only those isolated sentences painted an incomplete picture. So they introduced the surrounding portions of the journal as well. And when jurors heard some of the entries in full, they weren't just hearing someone who wanted control. They were hearing a woman describing overwhelming anxiety, crushing guilt, constant worry about her children, feelings of depression, and repeated pleas for help. The first entry that was read out loud was about Callan's sleep schedule and how Lindsay was struggling with it. Here is what the prosecution read.
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And at some point in this paragraph, it says, obsessed with his sleep and nap schedule. Like to the minute says hearing. Hearing him cry for one plus hours and not intervening just about killed me. I even said the Words I want to die to Pat while he was crying. After that, I became obsessed with his sleep and nap schedule, like to the minute.
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But the defense argued that the full entries showed that Lindsay and Patrick were working to sleep train Callan. They suggested that it wasn't about control at all. It was about working to get Callan on a regular sleep schedule and the incredible difficulty that Lindsay was having with it. Here are some of the more complete journal entries about that topic.
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Hearing him cry for one plus hours and not intervening just about killed me. I even said the words I want to die to Pat while he was crying. After that, I became obsessed with his sleep and nap schedule. Like to the mimic, I would tell Laney to put him down at Ken 36. I would also drive him around for car naps for hours every day. Feeling guilty for doing this to my baby. I also feel guilty. We did it too young. One week shy of four months. I always feel strongly about sleep training. I feel like it's abusive to let the baby cry and not respond. But I made the decision. I did it with Cal. There's way too much crying. It's incredibly stressful. He's okay. He will be okay. It's not harmful in any way. The doctor said it was okay. Plenty of people sleep train their kids at that age. It's necessary as a third child.
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The prosecution also read an entry that said, I feel like I did it wrong because I did it when he was overtired, so it made it harder. Now I have horrible insomnia and anxiety. But that, too was a very small portion of the full entry. Take a listen.
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I also feel like I did it wrong because I did it when he was overtired, so it made it harder. Now I have horrible insomnia and anxiety, which is causing depression. I have no appetite. I don't know what's wrong with me. I want help. I want to be well. I think the anxiety started after sleep training. Doctor said it was okay to let him cry. I need to get a good night's sleep and take care of him. Rocking him to sleep every nap in bed in the middle of the night. He's still a very happy baby despite his sleep training. Why else? I feel guilty. He's not really hitting his milestones, not rolling over, although he almost is. And he's babbling, which is a new milestone.
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The entries go on to describe symptoms that Lindsay was having and the debilitating fear that she was experiencing at the time.
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I have crazy brain fog. I feel like I can't Make a plan. I can't carry it out. Like I just live moment to moment waiting for the next nap time. I'm terrified of Cal getting overtired now because I feel like I can't help him. I'm really worried about going back to work and not being able to function with the brain fog. I feel like I should start with a four hour shift and see how I do. I can't tell if I am withdrawing from Ativan or Benadryl or. Or is this my new baseline? I feel completely disconnected with my baby. I feel like I'm going through the motions every day. I'm completely overwhelmed trying to take care of the three kids. I feel like I'm drowning every day. I'm terrified of getting Cowan's sick. He's a sick baby. A sick baby is miserable. He's sick now with a double ear infection, clearly has a belly ache. It's miserable. I feel like the other kids are going to get him sick all winter long. I feel incredibly sad and guilty about not breastfeeding anymore. That was the one thing I could do to help his immune system. And I can tell he really doesn't like the formula. I'm very sad about this. I know at this time it's what I needed to do for my mental health.
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The entries continue and appear to show a decline in Lindsay's mental health. On November 18, 2022, Lindsay writes, It's like I'm desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone. My mind is trying to make something physically wrong with me. My mind never shuts off. It's constantly thinking of the next thing someone needs. I can't shut it off. I desperately want to go back to work. But now I don't know how I'm going to function and it worries me. By November 22, she began writing affirmations in her journal. She said, I am calm. I will remain calm today. There is nothing that needs to be on my mind. The weight is lifted from my mind. I will sleep tonight. The following day on November 23, she wrote, I slept well last night. I will sleep again tonight. Today will be a great day. I will go back to work on Sunday. I will thrive. I can feel like myself again. Finally, Lindsay began to focus on her gratitude. She documented the things that she felt grateful for, like her mother in law, sue, and her nurse practitioner Julie, who came up with a plan to help her. In those same entries, Lindsay explained why she needed that help.
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A big thing is I feel disconnected with myself. Time, reality. I think Going back to work will help with that.
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Right there. In Lindsay's own words, she said she felt disconnected from reality. Now, whether you believe the prosecution's interpretation or the defense's, this moment was important because it demonstrated something that every juror, and, frankly, every true crime consumer should remember. Context matters. Sometimes a single sentence can point you in one direction, and sometimes the paragraphs before and after it completely change how you understand what the writer was trying to say. Ultimately, it's up to the jury to decide which reading better reflects Lindsay's state of mind. We'll be right back.
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Foreign.
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Lindsay Clancy's journal showed that she recognized that something was wrong and desperately wanted to fix it. These journal entries don't diagnose Lindsay, and they don't prove that she was psychotic on January 24. But they are important because they were written before the killings, before there was a criminal case and before there was any reason for her to construct a legal defense. The prosecution may argue that these entries show an exhausted, unhappy mother who felt trapped by the demands of caring for her children. And the defense will argue that they document a woman deteriorating in real time, overwhelmed by insomnia, racing thoughts, disconnection, and a growing sense that she was losing touch with herself and reality. And that's where this trial now begins. Moving into a much more complicated territory. Was Lindsay a woman who understood reality and chose to kill, or a woman whose mind had become so profoundly unwell that she could no longer appreciate the wrongfulness of what she was doing? Who was Lindsay Clancy now? To provide some insight, the prosecution's final witness on Wednesday was Elaine or Lainey Rossi, the Clancy's former nanny. Now, this is someone that I've been waiting to hear from because, remember, prosecutors told jurors that Lindsay was controlling, meticulous and manipulative. They suggested that once she no longer had a nanny to help keep everything running exactly the way she wanted, she struggled to maintain that control. So naturally, the nanny's testimony mattered. If anyone had seen that behavior firsthand, you would expect it to be her. Laney told jurors that she first met the Clancy family in July of 2022. The plan was for her to begin caring for baby Callan. Once Lindsay returned to work after maternity leave, she officially started in early September, working three days a week from about 8:30 in the morning until 1:30 in the afternoon. While her primary responsibility was Callan, she also helped with Cora and Dawson when they were home from preschool. She prepared meals, did laundry, and helped keep the household running. She described what each of the children were like.
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Cora was a girly girl who loved her babies very much. She was very sweet, and she loved arts and crafts and loved playing with her Fresh Mart, which was a little children's supermarket. She was lovely. Dawson was full of energy, rambunctious, funny, silly.
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And she described baby Callan.
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He was the happiest, sweetest, easiest baby. He was just a love.
- [41:50]
A
One thing that prosecutors focused on was a notebook that Lindsay kept in the kitchen. Every day, Lindsay would write detailed notes with instructions about Callan's schedule, feedings, naps, and activities. At first glance, that might seem like somebody who needs control over every detail. But when prosecutors asked Laney about it, her answer was that Lindsay was particular about keeping Callan on a schedule, especially when it came to sleep and feeding times. But she didn't describe the notebook as controlling or overbearing. Instead, she found it helpful. Laney also testified that Lindsay confided in her about struggling with postpartum depression. She told her that she planned to stop breastfeeding because she was starting medication. And she mentioned that she was having trouble sleeping and had begun sleeping in the basement while Callen's crib remained in the primary bedroom. But despite those conversations, Laney said that she never actually witnessed anything that caused her any concern. She didn't notice behavior that alarmed her. And Lindsay never discussed the emergency room visits that would later become such a major part of this case. Then came Thanksgiving. Lainey arrived at the house expecting Lindsay to be asleep because she believed that Lindsay had returned to work and had just finished an overnight nursing shift. But instead, Lindsay told her that she wouldn't be going back to work after all. Laney even told the family that if they no longer needed a nanny, they could just let her know. A short time later, Patrick and Lindsay gave her two weeks notice, explaining that since Lindsay wasn't returning to work, the two of them would be home to care for the children themselves. But Laney testified that nothing about Lindsay's interactions with the children changed during those final weeks. She described all three children as happy, loved, and well cared for. She recalled one specific incident where Dawson became upset after Cora took his play doh. In his frustration, Dawson reached over and slapped baby Callan. Laney testified that Lindsay immediately came over, removed Dawson from the room, and then comforted Callan and handled Dawson's behavior appropriately. When asked directly whether she had ever been concerned that the children were unsafe in Lindsay's care, Laney said no.
- [44:03]
B
And did you have any concerns about her interacting with the children? Not at all. She was a wonderful moment.
- [44:08]
A
The only thing that she ever really was concerned about. Lainey said that she, over the course of working for the family, had noticed that Lindsay had become noticeably thinner and appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight. She couldn't say why, but it was something that she remembered. And she actually said something about it to Lindsay. She said she left the family on wonderful terms. They gave her notice so that she could find another job, and she stayed in touch afterward, even reaching out to wish them a merry Christmas. And when Massachusetts State Police interviewed her after the murders, she described Lindsay as, in her words, a loving and doting mother.
- [44:44]
B
I observed a wonderful mom who loved her kids, who was. She was very concerned with their safety. She was very concerned with Callan's eating and sleeping. She was a wonderful mother.
- [44:58]
A
And with that court wrapped up now, as we head into next week, it appears the prosecution is getting close to wrapping up their case. They've spent the last two weeks laying out what they believe happened inside the Clancy home that evening and presenting evidence that they say shows Lindsay's actions were deliberate and intentional. But once the prosecution rests, the trial is going to shift in a big way. The defense will begin presenting its own witnesses and instead of focusing primarily on what happened. And the focus will become why. Their entire case centers on the argument that Lindsay was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and because of that, mental illness, lacked the criminal responsibility required for a murder conviction. So we can expect to hear from psychiatrists, mental health experts, and others who treated or evaluated Lindsay as they try to explain what they believe was happening inside her mind in the weeks leading up to January 24th. Of course, that won't be the end of it, because once the defense finishes, prosecutors will have the opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses to challenge every bit of that testimony. So while the physical evidence may soon be behind us, the battle over Lindsay's mental state is really just beginning. And it will likely become the most fiercely contested part of this entire trial. As always, I'll be following every day of testimony and breaking it all down for you right here on 13th juror. My name is Brandi Churchwell, creator and host of the 13th Juror podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the show on your favorite podcast platform and leave a rating or review. It helps more listeners discover the podcast. And if you know someone who would find this case as fascinating as you did, share this episode with them. For additional episodes, case updates, and more information about the podcast, Visit our website at 13jurorpodcast com. The evidence has been presented, the arguments have been made. And now comes the same question faced by every juror. What do you believe? Thank you for listening.