‘i Want Help’: Jurors Hear Lindsay Clancy’s Diary Entries At Murder Trial

After an opening week of affectional grounds and a assemblage sojourn to nan location wherever Lindsay Clancy is accused of strangling her 3 children, her murder proceedings resumed connected Monday pinch diary entries written successful nan months earlier nan killings successful a coastal Massachusetts municipality successful 2023.

The entries picture Clancy emotion anxious and overwhelmed by motherhood, including her struggles to get her newborn son, Callan, to slumber and her changeless fears that he was sick. She besides wrote astir her concerns complete returning to activity arsenic a labour and transportation nurse, being incapable to breastfeed and emotion disconnected from some her children and her then-husband.

“I’m truthful hopeless to get a intelligence break from taking attraction of everyone that my mind is trying to find thing physically incorrect pinch me,” she wrote successful an introduction dated November 18, 2022.

Clancy’s defense says she was a loving mother who was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a uncommon but superior intelligence wellness information that tin create aft childbirth and impact a person’s grasp connected reality.

Prosecutors contend that she acted intentionally and should beryllium held criminally responsible for nan deaths of Callan, Dawson and Cora Clancy, who ranged successful property from 8 months to 5 years.

Clancy’s lawyers don’t conflict that she killed nan children. But successful nan criminal proceedings and a aesculapian malpractice lawsuit, her attorneys opportunity nan 35-year-old had bipolar upset that wasn’t afloat diagnosed until aft nan killings.

Her attorneys opportunity her information seemed to worsen connected an ever-shifting lineup of psychiatric prescriptions, immoderate of them problematic for bipolar patients.

Her diary sheds ray connected nan intelligence wellness issues astatine nan bosom of nan case

In nan 3 months earlier nan killings, various clinicians prescribed a scope of antidepressants, slumber aids, an antipsychotic and different medications while she reported progressively profound insomnia, anxiety, despair and disorder astir what was real, according to her lawsuit.

Both nan prosecution and her defense lawyer publication pages from her diary Monday arsenic she chronicled those difficult months.

“I want help. I want to beryllium well,” Clancy’s lawyer Kevin Reddington publication from 1 diary entry.

She besides wrote of emotion “incredibly sad and guilty” astir not breastfeeding and was “obsessed” pinch Callan’s slumber and nap schedule.

“I person crazy encephalon fog. I consciousness for illustration I can’t make a plan,” she wrote successful another, undated entry. “I unrecorded infinitesimal to infinitesimal waiting for nan adjacent nap time. I’m terrified of Cal getting overtired now because I consciousness can’t thief him.”

In abstracted lawsuits, Lindsay and ex-husband Patrick Clancy allege that various providers grounded her, and should person recognized she was a consequence to herself and nan children. The providers, astatine slightest those who person responded to date, contradict nan allegations and conflict that she intelligibly told them she intended to harm nan kids.

Lindsay Clancy was seeking thief earlier nan killings

When she sought attraction astatine a postpartum slump programme successful precocious December 2022, providers noted that her symptoms mightiness beryllium owed to medication, according to her lawsuit. It says those clinicians told her to taper disconnected nan antipsychotic supplier and past discharged her aft a day.

Clancy checked herself into a psychiatric infirmary that New Year’s Eve and spent respective days there. Once home, she resumed appointments pinch her psychiatrist, who past saw her for 17 minutes connected Jan. 23, 2023, according to her lawsuit.

The adjacent day, she believed a commanding sound was telling her to “kill nan children truthful you tin termination yourself,” according to her lawyers.

That evening, she asked her then-husband to tally immoderate errands, a petition that prosecutors formed arsenic a ploy to get him retired of nan house.

Father returns location to a shocking scene

Lindsay Clancy wept astatine nan defense array past week arsenic Patrick Clancy and different witnesses testified.

He told jurors astir returning to a horrible segment astatine their house: a bloodied bedroom, an unfastened window, his woman connected nan crushed beneath it, nan children successful nan basement, throttled pinch workout bands.

“She killed nan kids!” he told a 911 dispatcher connected a telephone played successful court.

Lindsay Clancy remains paralyzed from nan waist down because of nan fall.

In nan infirmary 2 days later, erstwhile a forensic scientist asked Clancy really she felt, she responded: “horrified.” She besides asked if she had a lawyer and whether her assemblage and legs were broken. She was intubated and could only pass done written messages connected a whiteboard, nan scientist testified.

“She past asked, tin she person visitors, and wherever her family is,” Dr. Jhilam Biswas of Brigham and Women’s Hospital recalled.

Doctors testified Monday that 8-month-old Callan was successful cardiac apprehension erstwhile he arrived astatine a infirmary successful adjacent Plymouth. He needed a ventilator astatine Boston Children’s Hospital to thief him breathe, but did person a heartbeat. He died aft 3 days.

Prosecutors will effort to support nan spotlight connected Clancy

Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham sought successful an opening connection past week to support jurors' attraction connected nan defendant, not her doctors.

“This is not a nationalist statement astir women’s intelligence wellness and really nan aesculapian strategy treats women,” Buckingham said.

If convicted of murder, Lindsay Clancy faces life successful situation without parole. If recovered not blameworthy owed to a deficiency of criminal responsibility, she would beryllium committed to a authorities intelligence wellness facility.

If you are based successful nan USA, and you aliases personification you cognize needs intelligence wellness assistance correct now, telephone aliases matter 988, aliases sojourn 988lifeline.org to entree online chat from nan 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is simply a free, confidential situation hotline that is disposable to everyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, aliases are struggling to cope, you tin speak to nan Samaritans, successful confidence, connected 116 123 (UK and ROI) aliases sojourn nan Samaritans website to find specifications of your nearest branch.

If you are successful different country, you tin spell to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline adjacent you.