Duxbury mother Lindsay Clancy appears in court in chilling case over deaths of her three children

Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, appeared in court for the first time in person on Friday as her high-profile murder case moves toward trial.

Clancy is charged in the deaths of her children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in an incident that shocked the community of Duxbury and drew national attention.

Prosecutors allege Clancy deliberately sent her husband out on an errand on the night of January 24, 2023, so she would be alone with the children. They have also argued she was not suffering from postpartum depression at the time of the alleged killings.

According to authorities, Clancy then jumped from a window in an apparent suicide attempt, leaving her paralysed and wheelchair bound.

She has previously attended court proceedings virtually from Tewksbury State Hospital, where she remains in a treatment programme. Friday marked her first appearance in court in person.

Her defence attorney, Kevin Reddington, said the transition has been emotionally difficult for his client.

“I’m very protective of her and I don’t want her to be stressed,” Reddington told reporters. “It’s a very emotionally draining thing and she’s nervous and scared and I want her to gradually acclimate.”

Friday’s hearing focused on pre-trial matters, including whether the defence will be allowed to film the prosecution’s psychiatric evaluation of Clancy, an issue that could factor into expected arguments over her mental state.

Clancy’s parents were also present in court for the first time. They said they have spent much of the past three years staying in a hotel near Tewksbury State Hospital so they can visit their daughter daily.

“She’s a loving mother,” her mother, Paula Musgrove, said through tears outside the courtroom.

The defence maintains Clancy was suffering from severe postpartum mental health issues. In a recently filed civil lawsuit against her former doctors, her husband has alleged she was overmedicated to the point of hearing voices.

The case is expected to centre heavily on competing claims about Clancy’s mental state at the time of the incident.

Clancy’s trial is scheduled to begin in July 2026 in Plymouth Superior Court.