Judge William Sullivan heard oral arguments regarding a defense motion to call three medical experts during proceedings at Boston.com, according to court reports. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington wants to call Dr. Michael Vulfovich, Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, and Dr. Donald Condie to testify. According to Eastidahonews, Reddington argued that he should be allowed to call the three experts—described as a psychiatrist, a pathologist, and an emergency room doctor—to counter Commonwealth witnesses who testified about the care Lindsay Clancy received. Following the arguments, Judge Sullivan took the motion under advisement.
Defense Seeks to Call Three Medical Experts in Duxbury Murder Trial
Charges and Insanity Defense Context
Lindsay Clancy, 35, is standing trial on three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her three children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—at their Duxbury, Massachusetts home on January 24, 2023. Clancy does not deny that she strangled the children. Instead, she is raising an insanity defense, arguing she cannot be held criminally responsible because she suffered from postpartum psychosis, was overwhelmed by postpartum mental illness, and heard a voice in her head instructing her to kill.
Conversely, prosecutors have alleged that Clancy deliberately and meticulously
killed her children because she had grown tired of motherhood and was seeking a quick and easy fix
for her struggles. Prosecutors have also suggested she was irregular in taking her prescribed psychiatric medications.
State Police Testimony and Family Background
Prior to the defense motion arguments, State Police Sgt. Andrew Chiachio testified on cross-examination by Reddington that authorities found no evidence Clancy had ever been abusive toward her children. Prosecutors presented a 2021 Facebook post written by Clancy on a parenting group page in which she described her 19-month-old son as difficult and frustrating, noting every step was a battle. Sgt. Chiachio confirmed under questioning that investigators found nothing to suggest Clancy was abusive toward her son Dawson.
Additional testimony from family friends and former childcare workers depicted Clancy as a devoted mother. Elaine Rossi, a former part-time nanny for the family, testified that Clancy was open about her postpartum mental health struggles and insomnia in the fall of 2022, but described her as a wonderful mom who loved her kids
and was very concerned with their safety. Furthermore, family friend Kyle Carney testified that he and his family had dinner with the Clancys on January 22, 2023, and that while Lindsay was quieter than normal, her behavior and demeanor appeared standard.
Medical and Forensic Evidence Presented
The trial has previously featured extensive technical and medical testimony regarding the events of January 2023 and the days leading up to them. Dr. Kimberley Springer, a medical examiner at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston, walked jurors through an autopsy of 8-month-old Callan Clancy, stating his cause of death was complications of mechanical asphyxia consistent with ligature strangulation.
Additionally, forensic toxicologist Justin Brower testified that blood tests showed slightly elevated levels of the antipsychotic medication quetiapine, also known as Seroquel, in Clancy’s system on the night of the killings. Crime lab technicians and law enforcement officials also testified regarding prescription pill bottles recovered from the Duxbury home and blood evidence related to Clancy’s subsequent suicide attempt and spinal fracture.
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