Watch Live: Lindsay Clancy trial resumes with Patrick Clancy’s mother testifying, “She was begging for help”

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial resumed Tuesday in Massachusetts with the 15th day of testimony.

You can watch the trial live on CBS News Boston in the embedded video or on YouTube when court is in session.

More defense witnesses will testify, a day after the prosecution rested its case after calling 72 witnesses in Plymouth Superior Court. One of the first people to testify for the defense was Clancy’s mother, Paula Musgrove. The children’s other grandmother, Patrick Clancy’s mother, took the stand Tuesday for the defense.

A full day of testimony is planned, according to Judge William Sullivan.

Patrick Clancy’s mother Susan testifies

The first witness called by the defense Tuesday was Susan Clancy, Patrick Clancy’s mother and Lindsay Clancy’s ex-mother-in-law. Susan Clancy said she had a very good relationship with her former daughter-in-law.

“She was very nurturing, very loving. She was a wonderful mother,” Susan Clancy said. “She loved her children, all of them. Very, very much.”

She said Lindsay Clancy reached out in November to say she was suffering from insomnia and was very anxious and sad. Susan Clancy, a nurse, reached out to colleagues who were running a program to help with postpartum mothers. 

“Did you find that Lindsay was interested at all times in trying to get better and see doctors?” defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked.

“Very much so,” Susan Clancy said. “She was begging for help.”

During cross-examination, Susan Clancy said she offered to help with the kids and take them overnight while Lindsay was struggling, but the family decided it was best for them to stay in their own beds. She testified she was also frequently texting with Lindsay about the drugs she was taking.

“There were a lot of medications,” Susan Clancy said. “It seemed confusing.”

Lindsay Clancy trial

Clancy, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan, in their Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023.

Clancy pleaded not guilty but admits to killing her children. Defense attorney Reddington said she should not be held criminally responsible because she was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis.

Prosecutors Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham said Clancy planned the murders before faking a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

If Clancy is convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If the jury finds that she was not criminally responsible for the deaths of her children, she will be sent to a state psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.  

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.