cover of episode 90: Mother Murders Her 3 Children. Premeditated or Psychotic Break?

90: Mother Murders Her 3 Children. Premeditated or Psychotic Break?

Publish Date: 2023/11/13
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Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

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Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly with me, Annie Elise.

Today's case that we're going to be talking about is one that we've touched on a little bit before. However, we haven't talked about it on the podcast. We've only talked about it over on my YouTube channel, 10 to Life. However, there have been a lot of updates now and new details in this case, some pretty horrific details, I might add.

So what I wanted to do today is go over the case again. I'll give you a little bit of a backstory to it just in case you're hearing it for the first time and you need a refresher or you're not familiar with it. And then we're going to talk about all of the updates because...

It's one that has, honestly, I want to say the entire country, but it could be international at this point. It has everybody divided. Some people think that this person is innocent or should not be held accountable to a very strict sentence, while others think that this was premeditated, that this person is a monster, and that it is just absolutely enraging and horrific, which the case itself absolutely is.

So I'm curious once we go through everything today to see where you stand on this case and I would love it if you would share your feedback with me either in the comment section on YouTube for the video version of this or even on Spotify in the Q&A section or of course in the review section on the podcast.

Because again, so many people are divided and I have my opinions and I had strong opinions out of the gate, which I feel like have shifted quite a bit. But anyways, I'm curious to know what you guys think. So without further ado, let's kind of just jump right in. This mother has been charged with strangling her three young children. Her lawyers blame postpartum depression. He continued to scream uncontrollably and scream for officers to come to the basement.

The dispatchers are hearing this and they send help down to the basement. And when they encounter Patrick, he yells out,

She killed the kids. Their mother, Lindsay Clancy, is charged in their deaths. Can you hear me? Yes, ma'am. On Friday, January 27, 2023, using an erasable whiteboard because she was still temporarily intubated, one of the first questions that Lindsay Clancy asked was, do I need an attorney? She knew that she had murdered her children, and she had the clarity, focus, and mental acumen to focus on protecting her own rights and interests.

So if you haven't guessed it by now, today we're going to be talking about the new information revealed in the Lindsay Clancy case, as more haunting details have now emerged. This has been a case that has been wildly debated as rooted in postpartum psychosis versus plain premeditated evil. And it now has this new evidence, and it gives us some insight into what may have really been going on in Lindsay's mind leading up to the horrific murders. And that's because allegedly,

Lindsay researched methods of killing before she strangled her three children to death and attempted to take her own life. Now, as I mentioned, if you haven't heard of this case, the unbelievable tragedy of the Clancy family in Duxbury, Massachusetts, it occurred on January 24th, 2023, and it was just your typical average Tuesday for the Clancy family.

Lindsay was a 32-year-old mother of three. She was a mother to Cora, aged five years old, Dawson, three years old, and Callen, eight months old.

Lindsay and her husband Patrick were home with the kids when Patrick then left to go and pick up food for the family. Later on Tuesday night and over the days that followed, news broke and it spread like wildfire after it was reported that officers were called to the Clancy's home just after 6 p.m. and they were met with a horrific scene. Upon their arrival, the officers discovered three children who were unconscious with obvious signs of trauma.

The three children were rushed to a local hospital where Cora and Dawson were pronounced as dead. The baby, 8-month-old Callen, managed to survive and was flown to Boston Children's Hospital where he was in critical condition and getting treatment. But unfortunately, he died just a few days later. Lindsay was found on the ground outside of the house after cutting her wrists and jumping out of a window on the second floor of the house.

Soon after, Lindsay was charged for murdering her three children. Specifically, she was charged with two counts of homicide, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. And we are going to get into all of those details after we take a quick break to hear from today's sponsors.

Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.

Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.

An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extrahelp.

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So as this case continued to garner an unbelievable amount of national media attention, the public really did struggle with how to make sense of what had happened. You see, Lindsay was a loving mother, a wife, and also a labor and delivery nurse.

Her and Patrick were living what many people would consider a perfect dream life in an affluent suburb with three precious babies. So many people wondered how a mother could do this in general, but also the fact that she was a labor and delivery nurse added a complete other layer of confusion to the case. She literally helped bring children into the world, and her social media was philandering.

filled, chock full of sweet pictures with her, her children, Patrick, all of the kids, kissing them, holding them, playing with them. She also had this loving husband and a very strong marriage. So how on earth did this happen? It didn't make any sense.

People that knew Lindsay spoke out and said that she was struggling with postpartum depression, and she was also on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital. It was also revealed that Lindsay was in an inpatient treatment program for mental health struggles for five days back in January, just a month or a few weeks actually before this tragic night occurred.

After Lindsey was on leave from work, Patrick began to work from home instead of going into the office so that he could be there to support Lindsey and also be there for the kids because this was obviously a very challenging time for their family.

From the few friends that have spoken out on Lindsay's behalf, they've all generally kind of said the same thing, that this isn't Lindsay. Lindsay loves her children. Lindsay would never do this. Lindsay loved being a mom. Neighbors, friends, anyone that knew Lindsay were just absolutely stunned after hearing the news.

And Lindsay was also doing what she could to take care of her mental health. Patrick also knew about it, and after the inpatient stay, she was actually going to an outpatient program five days a week, all for her mental health issues. It seemed like Lindsay and Patrick were kind of doing everything right, so to speak, by the book, so that they could address Lindsay's mental health issues. So again, how on earth could something like this happen? How could it escalate to such mass casualties, again, her own children?

Now, initially, it was widely believed that Lindsay may have experienced postpartum psychosis, which is a very serious mental illness that can affect women after giving birth. The symptoms can appear suddenly and feel like you lose your sense of reality. Sometimes symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, mood swings, and other behavior changes.

Facebook groups and other forms on social media had hundreds of women sharing their own experiences with postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. So a lot of people were empathizing with Lindsay, saying that they had been there or they had known somebody by extension, by proxy, who had also felt like that at some point.

And they all kind of assumed that once Lindsay woke up in the hospital, the reality of her actions would be so unbelievably unbearable that maybe criminal charges weren't the answer. That maybe she would have suffered enough mentally because she was in a pure state of psychosis when she did this, that once the reality started to set in, that that would be punishment enough.

Now, one of the most infamous cases of filicides is Andrea Yates, the mother who drowned her five children in Houston while battling postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, and postpartum depression. Andrea was initially convicted of the murders and sentenced to life behind bars. But in 2006, the conviction was actually overturned, and she received a new trial where she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Now in Texas, defendants who use insanity as a defense must prove that they were not only mentally ill, but that they also did not know that their actions were wrong at the time of the alleged crime. So Andrea Yates is now in a psychiatric care facility, and her attorney actually says that it is highly unlikely that she will ever be released.

and her case will remain under court supervision. So four days before Lindsay was scheduled for her arraignment hearing via Zoom, her defense attorney started to describe Lindsay's mental state, describing it as zombie-like and also the result of absolutely over-medication, possibly with a component of postpartum depression.

He said that from October of 2022 to January of 2023, Lindsay was prescribed as many as 12 different medications. All of these medications were for postpartum anxiety, and he was arguing that she cannot be held criminally responsible because of this.

Some of the medications that she was on, which is a plethora of meds to be on, included Ambien, Valium, Klonopin, Prozac, Lamictal, Ativan, Remirian, Seroquel, Zoloft, and Trazodone. He said, and I quote, "...this family was on the road to hell and unfortunately is not coming back."

Her husband actually went to the doctor the week before this happened to ask for help and said, you're turning her into a zombie. It was just a brutal, brutal existence that they were living in. Her parents were also aware of this. They were trying to help out the husband as well. Her husband was never told that he shouldn't leave her alone. I like to think in this case, it's justice for Lindsay as well. I don't think anyone needs to be lectured about the horrific loss of three beautiful babies.

Her defense attorney also filed a motion that the judge granted and scheduled Lindsay to speak with a forensic psychologist to evaluate her before the arraignment.

Again, this is something where everybody was just really divided because there were, of course, people saying, no, this woman just brutally killed her three children, then tried to take her own life, not seeing that as taking her own life because she couldn't bear what was going on, but almost she took her own life because she's a coward and she doesn't want to face the music for this. And we're going to get into some more of the details of like the planning of these murders as well, which is why so many people still believe this.

But then you had the whole other side of the case and the argument saying, no, she was clearly under duress. She was clearly mentally ill. She had been struggling. She told people she was struggling. She was in treatment for it. She was then prescribed over a dozen medications. Of course that would warp anybody's sense of reality, behavior, and reactions and thinking.

There's no way that she can be held accountable for this. So everybody was very, very divided on this right out of the gate. So much so that to be quite honest, I feel like a lot of people weren't really sharing their personal opinions from a creator aspect.

because it is such a sensitive topic. I, however, did share my initial reactions because it's no secret and I've said it many times on my YouTube channel, maybe not on my podcast, so you're probably hearing it here first, but I struggled with pretty bad postpartum depression with my first child. Luckily, it never was to this degree and I never had any sort of violent thoughts or anything like that, but it was a horrible experience where I suffered detachment,

I was sad all the time. I felt like I couldn't connect or bond with my son. And it was a really difficult time. And unfortunately, there is such a stigma around it that it takes a lot of women sometimes a while until they recognize that there's a problem and also then to get on medication for it because there's a stigma. So not to go too far off on that path, but Lindsay was on the medication. She was raising her hand saying, something is wrong here. The thoughts I'm having are not natural. I need help.

Put me into the inpatient treatment. If I'm not in the inpatient program, put me in the outpatient program. But still, to a lot of people, still to this day, and you'll see why, that wasn't enough. And they still believed that this was cold-blooded murder, premeditated, and very meticulously planned out.

So let's talk a little bit more about this and then kind of go into some of those updates and some of the new things that was found on her tech devices and in some of her personal journals. So on Tuesday, February 7th, Lindsay was arraigned and at this hearing, the absolute chilling and horrific details were revealed of what exactly happened that day.

Lindsay appeared at this hearing via Zoom, and she was still in a hospital bed with a mask on. And you really couldn't tell her emotions in this Zoom because she had the mask on, but she did seem to be heavily medicated.

There wasn't a lot of expression. She kind of seems a little zombie-like. And at this point, too, it hadn't been confirmed. But we later learn that she was paralyzed from the waist down. This as a result from jumping from the second story of her home, trying to end her own life. And here's what the prosecution had to say. Dawson and Callen were face down on the floor. Cora was on her side with her torso turned towards the floor. He removed the bands and begged them to breathe.

He continued to scream uncontrollably and screamed for officers to come to the basement. The dispatchers are hearing this, and they send help down to the basement. And when they encounter Patrick, he yells out, she killed the kid. On Friday, January 27, 2023, using an erasable whiteboard because she was still temporarily intubated, one of the first questions that Lindsay Clancy asked was, do I need an attorney?

She knew that she had murdered her children, and she had the clarity, focus, and mental acumen to focus on protecting her own rights and interests. On the morning of Tuesday, January 24, 2023, the defendant took her five-year-old daughter, Cora, to the pediatricians for an appointment. She interacted with a receptionist, nursing staff, and a doctor. There were apparently no issues with the defendant's situation.

demeanor or behavior as she completed the appointment and was allowed to leave with CORE without any issues or concerns. When she returned home, she went outside with CORE and a three-year-old son Dawson to play in the snow.

They built a snowman. The defendant sent photos to her mother and to the defendant, strike that, to her husband. She texted with them. Nothing in the text was out of the ordinary or any sign of any distress or trouble. Then searched that takeout 3V via her cell phone at 4.13 p.m.,

Immediately after doing that, she used Apple Maps on her phone to determine how long it would take someone to drive from her home in Duxbury to 3V Restaurant in Plymouth. So she would know how long someone would be gone if they were in that errand. At 4:53 p.m., the defendant texted her husband, who was working in his home office in their basement. She texted, "Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V? I didn't cook anything. It's been a long day."

This was an unusual request, as when the family ordered takeout, they'd usually go somewhere closer to home. But it was a place that they had been in the past. Patrick Clancy texted back yes, and then the defendant asked him to check the menu. At 5.15 p.m., Patrick Clancy headed out the door to run these errands at the defendant's request. As he left, she texted him PDLX liquid stool softener.

Surveillance footage shows Mr. Clancy at CVS on Summer Street in Kingston at 5:32 p.m. He goes to the medication aisle, the children's medication aisle. Phone records show that he called the defendant at 5:33 p.m. and she did not answer the phone.

He then calls him back at 5:34 p.m., and the call lasted 14 seconds. He's there at the store, unsure of which medication to get, and she tells him exactly what she wants. He had no issues communicating with her. It was a completely normal call, although he did mention that she seemed like she was in the middle of something. When he arrived home, the first thing he noticed was the silence. He did not see or hear the defendant or the children.

He actually called her cell phone at 6:09 p.m. looking for them, and she did not answer. He went to their bedroom on the second floor, and the door was locked. He was able to open it, and when he looked inside, he saw blood on the floor in front of a full-length mirror and the window open. He immediately runs downstairs and into the backyard, where he finds the defendant laying on the ground. She appeared to have cuts on her wrist and neck, but he stated to 911 that those wounds were no longer bleeding.

She was conscious. He called 911. During this time he asked the defendant, what did you do? She responded to him, I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window. During the 911 call, Patrick can be heard asking the defendant, where are the kids? He later told police that she replied, in the basement. Immediately after this happened, she knew what she had done and she knew where the kids were.

When EMS arrived, he asked them to stay with her so he could go find his kids. The 911 call kept going. Patrick can be heard on the 911 call entering the home and heading to the basement. At one point, he calls out, guys?

He can then be heard screaming in agony and shock as he found his children. His screams seem to get louder and more agonized as the time passes. Cora and Callan were on the floor in the den area of the finished basement, which is to the left when you walk down the stairs, while Dawson was alone on the floor in his father's home office, which is to the right when you go down the stairs.

Each child still had the exercise band that was used to strangle them tied around their necks when their father found them. Dawson and Kellen were face down on the floor. Cora was on her side with her torso turned towards the floor. He removed the bands and begged them to breathe. He continued to scream uncontrollably and screamed for officers to come to the basement.

The dispatchers are hearing this, and they send help down to the basement. And when they encounter Patrick, he yells out, she killed the kid. According to her husband, she was never on more than four to five medications at one time. And at the time of the murder, she was taking only three medications. And he said to the police that she always took the medications as prescribed.

After her stay at McLean, the defendant appeared to be getting better, according to her husband. She slept well, interacted with friends and family. She went out with her kids and husband to places like the Kingsbury Club in Duxbury, the Charlie Horse Restaurant, the Museum of Science in Boston, the Cape Codder down the Cape, interacting with her family and the public without any apparent difficulties.

She even stayed alone with the children on several occasions without any issues in January of 2023. Her husband asked her in mid-January, are you still having suicidal thoughts? And she said no. On the night of the killings, Patrick Clancy was interviewed by the police at Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth Hospital. He told the police that the defendant was having one of her best days.

She was smiling and happy, and there was no indication that she was going to harm the kids. No one, no one at all described her as acting like a zombie in the days leading up to the murder or on the day of the murders themselves.

On February 5, 2023, this past Sunday at 1:35 p.m., while sitting with Dr. Paul Ziesel, the psychologist hired by defense counsel to evaluate her mental state, the defendant used Dr. Ziesel's cell phone to call her husband. She left a voicemail stating that she loved him. Yesterday, on February 6, 2023, at 10:09 a.m., she again used Dr. Ziesel's cell phone to call her husband.

This time he answered, and during this call the defendant stated that after he left the house that night she killed the kids because she heard a voice and had, quote, "a moment of psychosis," end quote. He asked her what voices she heard, and she said she heard a man's voice telling her to kill the kids and kill herself because it was her last chance. Patrick Clancy told the police the defendant had never heard voices before.

He also told the police the defendant had never used the word psychosis to him before. The first time she used that word psychosis was when she was with a doctor hired by defense counsel and using his cell phone. Now let's hear what the defense had to say about all of this. We have a paraplegic who can't walk, who is definitely a danger to herself, and the government wants to put her in where? Cramingham State Prison? Plymouth House of Correction? There's no way that any humane defense

person would do that, especially within the structure of our criminal justice system, where a person is presumed innocent. And I'm not suggesting the facts that the government has read. But she has a good defense. She's got a darn good defense for this case, because that's what happened. To have this woman not held on bail, perhaps put a GPS on her, I guess, if someone's concerned that she's going to miraculously recover, which isn't going to happen.

As your owner knows, being a paraplegic, paralyzed, she can't move. Can't get off the bed. She can't walk. She can't even go to the bathroom. She has to have 24/7 medical care. We all know that this woman is, as counsel concedes apparently, a danger to herself. I question whether she would ever make it to a trial. She's suicidal. She's extremely emotional.

However, she's unable and has been unable to express any happiness or sadness or cry. And in fact, sometime about a month or two ago, she made the comment, I just wish that I could feel something. Now, our society fails miserably

in treating women with postpartum depression or even postpartum psychosis. It's Medicaid, Medicaid, Medicaid. Throw the pills at you and then see how it works. If it doesn't work, increase the dose or decrease the dose. Then end up trying another combination of medications. Now, I want to note here that in the arraignment, the defense shifted from just medication-induced psychosis to postpartum psychosis.

So it was now time for the forensic psychiatrist to try to determine whether a crime was premeditated or if this was something else, and they needed to look at the whole picture instead of just one incident. And in this case, in order to see and have visibility to the whole picture, that would include Lindsay's past history with her children, everything was on the table and nothing was off-limits.

According to almost everyone that knew Lindsay personally, or even on the surface, she was by all accounts just a great mother that loved her children deeply. And also, she absolutely loved being a mom.

Even her husband, Patrick, spoke out after these murders, asking the public to forgive Lindsay, since he says that he already had forgiven her. He wrote an absolutely heart-wrenching post on the GoFundMe, detailing their family traditions, talking about Cora, Dawson, and Callen, and spoke out in depth about his marriage to Lindsay.

In that, he said, Now this is just heartbreaking because Patrick is of course grappling with the loss of his three children. And then on top of that, the added extra layer that your wife is the one responsible for this. And in that moment, you can imagine feeling torn as far as,

should I support her? He obviously knows the mental health situation much more than the public. So do I support her? Is she a monster? All of the things. And he put that statement out pretty quickly, which again kind of sparked even more confusion out there with the public because they now are seeing the parent, the father, and the husband standing by her being like, maybe things really were different. Maybe this was bad. But any of that empathy took a pretty big turn when more details became public.

Alright guys, so we are going to take one final break to hear from the rest of today's sponsors. Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.

It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.

Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.

An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extra help.

Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Life is full of adventures. Do you take this man to be your husband? I do. Welcome home. We did it. He has your eyes. He's perfect. Make the most of them all with PenFed checking and savings accounts. Learn more at PenFed.org. Federally insured by NCUA. To receive any advertised product, you must become a member of PenFed Credit Union. PenFed's got great rates for everyone.

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So as I mentioned, there was a clear divide out there. People who were standing with Lindsay, who were advocating for her, who were trying to be empathetic, and then the people on the other side saying, no, she is a monster, she's a murderer, she needs to be held accountable. And that's really all many people had to go on for months. We finally learned the details of those horrific murders.

some of the extremely haunting methods of the murder, and that's really all we knew at that point. We had a little bit of information to go off of, but things were under lock and key for the most part until so much more of that came to light just a couple of weeks ago.

On October 26th, things took a serious turn for Lindsay as she was now standing before a judge at the Tewksbury State Hospital where she had been getting treatment since the spring. She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. However, the judge decided to hold her without bail and commit her to psychiatric care because they believed that she was a risk of hurting herself.

The judge's decision came after Dr. Karen Towers, a forensic psychiatrist, reported that Lindsay was going through severe depression and having a very hard time coping with life. Dr. Towers expressed her professional opinion that Lindsay needed ongoing psychiatric care. During these court proceedings, prosecutor Jennifer Sproug provided more details about the events that occurred on January 24th, when all three of those little children were brutally murdered.

According to investigative affidavits, Lindsay had cut her wrists and her neck before jumping from the second floor window. Prosecutor Jennifer also mentioned that these injuries were not too deep and didn't even need stitches, raising questions about how serious Lindsay's suicide attempt really was.

She also noted that Lindsay seemed to be fully aware of her actions, as there were no signs of hallucinations or delusions in her notes where she wrote about her life and her children. And in the 911 call, you can hear Patrick Clancy go into the house, go down the basement stairs, and we know he went to the right first, which is where the exercise room and the office were, because you hear him screaming. And you hear him say Dawson and my buddy.

And he takes the exercise band from around Dawson's Nest, and then he goes to the other side of the basement where there's a den. And you hear him find Cora, and he screams, baby. And he's screaming. Then you can hear when he finds Callan, because the pain in his voice is more. The emergency people come downstairs. All the police, firefighters, yells, she killed the kids.

Dr. Dahl, BAU, a psychiatrist retained by the Commonwealth Review that defended medical records, prescription history, her journals, and didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the manner of treatment or in the medications that were prescribed to her by her providers. She testified at grand jury that the trial of different medications and different combinations and dosages is routine medical practice when initially treating a patient and trying to find out what works for them.

The defendant wrote a note on her phone on October 25, 2022, stating, I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby. She also wrote, I want to feel love and connection with all of my kids. This would indicate that she did not feel love or connection with some of her kids. She then wrote she wants to have more kids eventually. Four days prior to killing her children, the defendant did an internet search on her phone, and it was, quote, can you treat a sociopath?

The children are killed with literature strangulation. Literature strangulation causes the victim to become unconscious anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute. And that depends on how much the victim struggles or fights. The more they struggle or fight, the longer it takes. Dawson had the most petechiae on his face and neck. According to the medical examiner, this means Dawson either struggled or fought for his life more than poor Callan were able to, or that she strangled him harder than the other two, or both.

and it takes 10 pounds of pressure, at minimum, to strangle. She could have stopped at any time, she could have changed her mind at any time, she could have helped him at any time. She did not. Instead, she finished strangling the children, returned her husband's phone call, then went up to the bedroom on the second floor. There she used the knife to inflict superficial cuts and scratches to her wrist and neck. She took the remaining pills of the Remeron Cerebral,

And then she climbed out of the bedroom window and gripped the windowsill while dangling from it. We know this because there's blood on the outside of the windowsill where her wrist would be and her hand.

She then dropped from the window or slid down. She did not jump. She did not hurl herself out the window because there's blood on the exterior shingle going down the exterior of the house. And then on the window, directly below the window she came out of, there's more blood on the top level looking like she tried to grab onto that window. While being treated at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston after killing her children, the defendant spoke to medical staff. On February 6th,

She said that she had fears that her inability to walk would make her vulnerable to others, and that she was worried about not being able to walk again. On February 7th, she said she was feeling more hopeful about her future. On February 8th, she stated that she is more future-oriented and hopeful. And on February 9th, she was visibly engaged, energized, and hopeful. Lindsey's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, had a different perspective on this, though. Ms. Clancy is a nurse.

Obviously a wife, mother, according to anybody that you speak to prior to this incident, she was nothing less than a marvelous, incredible mother. I've been in that house. There are photographs that show the love and devotion that both Lindsay and her husband Patrick had for these kids. Every single room was covered with her artwork, embroidery,

pictures, statements for the kids, tracks and graphs of how they're doing and what they're doing as far as learning, alphabet, numbers, things of that nature. She then, after having the third child, obviously, and I understand that the government wants to portray lack of criminal responsibility as somebody who is

crazy as we would envision somebody being crazy, unable to speak, unable to take care of themselves with hygiene, acting in a very, very irrational fashion. But that's not what happens when you have a situation as here. You have a woman who is obviously suffering from post-pandemic depression. And how do we know that? Well, we know that because in the weeks and months prior,

She was in such a state. She was unable to emote. She was unable to feel. She had no ability to love, whether it was her husband or her kids, and she told Patrick, her husband, that.

He argued against Jennifer's points, mentioning that he could see the blood from Lindsay's wounds on the floor, the walls, and even the window pane, which suggested a more serious situation than what Jennifer had described as, and I quote, a dinky cut.

So in the midst of all of this, investigators obtained warrants to search Lindsay's electronic devices. This included a tablet in a blue case that was found in the kitchen, an HP Pavilion laptop recovered from a basement office, a silver Dell laptop located in a first floor closet, and a pink Apple iPhone that was found in a second floor dresser of one of the bedrooms.

They also discovered quite a few journals where Lindsay would journal about her mental health and feelings about her children, but also researching ways to kill.

So these devices contained Lindsay's digital footprints and her thoughts on mental health all the way to those disturbing searches related to self-harm. So the goal of all of these search warrants was to find any evidence that this was in fact premeditated. The search warrants also revealed Lindsay's medical history. She had been prescribed multiple psychiatric medicines as her defense attorney had claimed, such as Zoloft, Valium, Trazodone, Ativan, Klonopin, Prozac, and Seroquel.

Documents showed that her husband, Patrick Clancy, had also noticed the signs of the suicidal thoughts in late December 2022, right before she admitted herself for inpatient treatment. So all of this information, with the journals, the search history, her husband noticing the self-harm ideations, this all coupled with the fact that Lindsay had voluntarily admitted herself to McLean Hospital from New Year's Day to January 5th,

indicated a level of self-awareness for Patrick regarding her struggles, regarding the mental health struggles that she was facing. But Lindsay's struggles took a more mysterious turn when it was revealed that she had confided in a close friend about her thoughts of harming both her children and herself. Now, interestingly, just two days before the tragic events unfolded, this friend had hosted the Clancy family over at the house for dinner.

During that gathering, though, Lindsay's behavior apparently hadn't raised any alarms, and everything appeared completely normal. In the documents, it also reveals more information in support of the argument that Lindsay planned these murders.

Prosecutors said that there was evidence that she searched how long it would take for her husband to pick up that takeout food from the Plymouth restaurant 3V, indicating that Lindsay was researching what kind of window of time she would have. How long was it going to take for him to go get this food? What time would he be back? How long do I have? What's my window of time to execute these murders? What's my time limit? Where is my timer?

The new documents also outline how Patrick Clancy called Lindsay while he was at CVS, confirming that he had bought the medication that she had asked for for her daughter. He felt that she was acting strangely during this call, strangely urgent, though nothing apparently seemed off at the time.

Now we know she was about to execute her plan. Now the true horror unfolded when Patrick got home and made that gruesome discovery in the basement. Two of their children had been strangled with cords or exercise bands, and their faces were turning blue and purple.

Police searched the home extensively, finding crucial pieces of evidence including the murder weapons, knives, and several of those notebooks. And these notebooks contained a comprehensive list of those medications that Lindsay had been prescribed, which was further supporting the defense's argument that she had been overly medicated.

it became evident that Lindsay had been dealing with a very complex cocktail of psychiatric drugs. And those notebooks didn't just document her medication regimen. They also contained her innermost thoughts, her struggles, and her confidence in friends, one of whom was cryptically referred to as Sue. Lindsay's defense lawyer, Kevin Reddington, maintained his stance that Lindsay Clancy had been overmedicated with a staggering 13 different psychiatric drugs.

He also suggested that postpartum depression may have played a role in her actions, arguing that the killings were a product of mental illness. It is just extremely messy. I truthfully see both sides of the argument here. I can see why people believe that she was mentally ill, she was overly medicated, that maybe she wasn't in her right state of mind when these horrific murders occurred.

Yet I also can understand the other side of the argument that, you know what? Tough shit. At the end of the day, you're a mother and you murdered your three children and you need to be held fully responsible and held accountable to the fullest extent. Which, regardless where you are on that side of the argument, I do think that there needs to be some level of accountability, whether that is life in a psychiatric facility or life in prison.

prison I don't know I don't have the answer for that and a lot of people still also do think that the fact that she is still showing suicidal tendencies is because she is finally getting the medication and the help she needs so reality has set in she's realized what she's done she realizes that she just annihilated her family and so rather than live with

that she would rather take her own life, perhaps to be with them, perhaps as penance. I don't even know. But then other people are saying, no, she only feels that way because she's guilty and she's a coward and she wants to, you know, and she wants to take the easy way out. So like I said, just very controversial, very divided. So as the case continues to unravel, Lindsay's next court date is scheduled for December 15th.

But at the end of the day, a family was absolutely destroyed and three precious lives were taken. So I am curious for your opinion. Where do you stand on this case? Do you think this was premeditated? Do you think this is a result of a mental illness and over medication? Or do you think that this was cold-blooded murder? She did not want to be a mom anymore and it was premeditated.

I'm curious to know what you guys think. All right, guys, and don't forget to snag all of those amazing deals from today's sponsors. I have linked everything in the show notes below for you. I know this case is very controversial, guys. I appreciate you listening and sticking through. So thank you so much for that. Just please continue to keep Patrick and those three sweet baby souls in your thoughts and prayers.

and let's hope that there is a decrease in the family annihilator cases because unfortunately right now there is just there's so many out there it's happening far too frequently

Thank you again so much for tuning in on today's episode. Please don't forget to follow the podcast if you're not already. That way you don't miss any future episodes. Give us a rating and a review if you would be so generous to do so. I would greatly, greatly appreciate it. I also have some really exciting news that I'm going to be sharing with you guys in the near future. So stay tuned so you don't miss that. All right. Thanks so much for tuning in, guys. I am signing off and I will be talking with you again very soon. All right. Bye.

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