A Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three children before trying to end her own life was indicted by a grand jury Friday, moving her case to superior court.
Lindsay Clancy, 32, was indicted on charges of murder and strangulation by a Plymouth County grand jury in the deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan in January, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office announced.
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Clancy is accused of tying exercise rope around each of her three children's necks for several minutes, then cutting herself and jumping out a window while her husband was running a pair of errands she'd arranged — all after seeing how long he would be out of the home.
Clancy, whose defense attorney claims that an overmedication of prescription psychiatric drugs led to homicidal and suicidal ideation, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges this February in Plymouth District Court from Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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The grand jury indictment means that Clancy will be arraigned again, in Plymouth Superior Court. Prosecutors didn't say Friday when that would be; Clancy has been hospitalized since the killings at the family's Summer Street Home.
The killing of the children rocked the Duxbury community. Local first responders have received counseling for what they saw at the home, which Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has called "an unimaginable, senseless tragedy."
Details shared by prosecutors at previous court hearings have been disturbing.
The morning of Jan. 24 began as what sounded like a routine day for a parent, prosecutors have outlined, with Lindsay Clancy taking her 5-year-old daughter Cora to the pediatrician for an appointment. She allegedly interacted with the receptionist, nursing staff and doctor, none of whom noticed any issues with her behavior. She was allowed to leave without concern.
Clancy returned home and went outside with Cora and her 3-year-old son Dawson to play in the snow, prosecutors said. They built a snowman and she sent photos to her mom and husband and texted with them, again with no sign of any distress or trouble. At this point, prosecutors say she began a series of calculated events that would ultimately lead to the deaths of all three children -- Cora, Dawson and her infant son Callan.
Clancy texted her husband, who was working in their basement office, to ask him to go to the store to pick up some medicine for the kids and takeout for dinner, prosecutors said. She'd allegedly searched online for the medication and the restaurant she suggested, as well as how long it would take.
Her husband, Patrick Clancy was gone for about 55 minutes, during which time the children were strangled by ligature in the home's basement, prosecutors said.
Cora and Dawson were declared dead at the scene. Callan was taken by medical helicopter to an area hospital, where he remained on life support for several days before succumbing to his injuries.
Lindsay Clancy was taken to South Shore Hospital and then transferred to a Boston-area hospital with several broken bones in her back and rib cage. Her lawyer has said the she is paralyzed from the waist down, adding it's unlikely she'll ever regain motion in her lower body.
Patrick Clancy later told police his wife had been "having one of her best days" after being prescribed various medications and committing herself to McLean Hospital, according to prosecutors. He later released a statement saying he'd forgiven his wife and asking others to do the same.
Lindsay Clancy had worked as a delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, and letters submitted to her lawyer and submitted in court paint a very different picture from the one shared by prosecutors, saying she "lived to be a mother," and was a valuable resource on motherhood and parenting for many of her friends.
Stacey Kabat, who first met Lindsay when she was a student nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the tragic events of Jan. 24 caused her and many others in the MassGeneral Brigham family "heartbreak since that dreadful night." She said Lindsay is a "strong, compassionate and loving nurse, who no one would ever imagine could harm anyone."
