Crime
“What I can’t fathom is the district attorney’s intent to put a circus in front of this jury that’s calculated to just inflame the passions of the jury.”
Lindsay Clancy confers with her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, on July 22, 2026. Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger, Pool
July 23, 2026 | 4:47 PM
3 minutes to read
With a jury seated and opening statements slated for Monday in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, attorneys squared up for one last emotionally charged hearing over a motion to shield some of the most sensitive evidence from public view.
As the Duxbury mother stands trial for allegedly murdering her three children, her former husband has asked the court to limit access to his own 911 call from the night of the killings, as well as photos from the crime scene and of the children’s autopsies.
Clancy, 35, is charged with first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. Though she has admitted to strangling her children, Clancy maintains she was wracked by postpartum mental illness and heard a voice in her head telling her to kill the children and herself.
Patrick Clancy returned home from running errands to find his then-wife gravely injured and their children dead or dying.
David Meier, Pat Clancy’s attorney, clarified Thursday that he is not seeking to close the courtroom at any point during the trial or keep evidence away from the jury.
“He recognizes — and I recognize on his behalf — that he has no authority, no standing, and no intention of suggesting to this court or to the attorneys how to try their case, how to conduct direct or cross-examination, and perhaps most importantly, what evidence or exhibits should be introduced during the trial,” Meier explained.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said she would defer to Judge William Sullivan regarding access to Pat Clancy’s 911 call, adding that prosecutors had already planned to ask that the autopsy photos be impounded from public view.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington called Meier’s request “very appropriate” and seemed to suggest the more grisly evidence was unnecessary in the first place, reminding Sullivan that “the circumstances of this horrific act are not in dispute.”
“Repeatedly, the government has argued that they have a right to try their case, to present their evidence. Sure they do. But even though we’re in a court, let’s talk a little bit about humanity,” Reddington said. “What I can’t fathom is the district attorney’s intent to put a circus in front of this jury that’s calculated to just inflame the passions of the jury.”
That includes prosecutors’ decision to solicit testimony from Pat Clancy, “who has suffered one of the worst tragedies that anyone could ever suffer,” he added.
“How that guy is … not an emotional basket case is beyond me,” Reddington continued. “But nevertheless, he is trying hard to move on with his life.”
He said Pat Clancy has since divorced Lindsay Clancy and remarried, adding, “He has a family, he has his extended family.”
Reddington then took aim at prosecutors, telling Sullivan, “I think it’s reprehensible the way the government is trying this case.”
Sprague fired back, accusing Reddington of trying to “white wash” what happened to the Clancy children.
Lindsay Clancy appeared emotional as she listened to the debate, keeping her gaze down, wiping her cheek, and clutching a tissue. Sullivan said he would aim to issue a decision on Pat Clancy’s request sometime Friday morning.
Separately, the judge withheld a ruling on Reddington’s request to limit testimony from emergency personnel who responded to the family’s home on Jan. 24, 2023. Reddington had argued that having so many first responders testify one after another would “inflame” the jury against Clancy, while Sprague maintained that each witness would help prove a different element of the state’s case.
“The commonwealth did not choose the number of victims; the defendant did. The commonwealth did not choose the ages of the victims; the defendant did. The commonwealth did not choose the horrific nature in which they died; the defendant did,” she charged. “It is not the commonwealth putting on a circus or a parade, it’s the commonwealth presenting the evidence in this case to prove that the defendant killed those children and the manner in which they were killed.”
Sprague further argued that reducing the number of prosecution witnesses would mean excluding testimony about one of the Clancy children, adding, “so if he (Reddington) would like to tell me which of these children don’t matter—”
Sullivan interrupted her, saying he understood prosecutors’ position and would prefer to handle the matter at sidebar as the trial progresses.
“I appreciate the fact that it was brought to my attention,” he added. “Now I can be aware of it and we can just deal with it as the trial goes on.”
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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