The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, 36, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 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 — continued into its thirteenth day on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Plymouth Superior Court, with Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Kyle Pavao, a former cybercrime unit detective, taking the stand as the first prosecution witness of the day.
Lindsay Clancy murder trial hears from cybercrime detective, state police investigators amid ongoing prosecution testimony
The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, 36, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 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 — continued into its thirteenth day on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Plymouth Superior Court, with Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Kyle Pavao, a former cybercrime unit detective, taking the stand as the first prosecution witness of the day.
Sgt. Pavao examined a Microsoft Surface Pro taken from Clancy's home in early 2023. During questioning, he confirmed that his initial review of the device's extraction showed a visit to a website titled 'suicide methods' on August 23, 2022. The prosecution concluded its questioning before defense attorney Kevin Reddington began cross-examination shortly after 10 a.m.
On the preceding day, the twelfth day of testimony, the jury heard from Sgt. Dan Lawlor, a Massachusetts State Police investigator who responded to the case on the night of January 24, 2023. According to Lawlor, he went to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where he saw Clancy, who was unable to speak and had suffered injuries after jumping from a second-floor window. Lawlor said he directed the hospital to preserve her urine and blood samples. He also visited Boston Children's Hospital to check on 8-month-old Callan and later stood watch outside Clancy's room after she was transferred to Brigham and Women's Hospital.
During cross-examination on day twelve, Reddington questioned Lawlor about access to Clancy's hospital room and raised the suggestion that investigators held the theory that defense psychologist Paul Zeizel had advised Clancy to call her then-husband Patrick Clancy and say she was hearing voices. Judge William Sullivan sent the jury from the courtroom for approximately twenty minutes while Lawlor was questioned on this point without the jury present. Lawlor said he recalled a conversation about the matter with a fellow trooper but could not remember which trooper it was, and said the conversation was not guiding his testimony. Prosecutor Buckingham asked Lawlor directly whether he had discussed the theory with the prosecution, and he said he had not. The judge took the arguments under advisement.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, August 11, nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta, the 62nd witness in the trial, testified about her treatment of Clancy from November 29 to December 13, 2022, at South Shore Hospital's Perinatal Behavioral Clinic, following the departure of a colleague who had previously treated Clancy. During that period, Jollotta prescribed Clancy multiple psychiatric medications. Messages Clancy sent to Jollotta via the MyChart platform were presented at trial, in which Clancy described feeling overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, feared she could be addicted to the anxiety medication Ativan, and wrote that she felt 'completely numb' and 'like I'm going to die, and I don't care.'
Jollotta testified that on one occasion when Clancy requested a phone call, she was too busy seeing other patients and had a more junior staff member call Clancy instead. Jollotta also testified that she did not believe Clancy was addicted to the medications and that Clancy's messages reflected suicidal ideation. On December 15, 2022, Clancy and Patrick Clancy called Jollotta to report that Clancy was experiencing dark thoughts and that they would likely go to the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital. Jollotta's notes described persistent and intrusive thoughts of suicide but no active plan to harm herself.
Jollotta had strongly recommended that Clancy check into Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island, according to testimony. Clancy did go to the facility on December 20, 2022, but according to defense attorney Reddington, the facility turned her away because of concerns she had been overmedicated. Jollotta said she could not speak to that, noting she was not affiliated with the other hospital. Clancy subsequently told Jollotta that Women and Infants had recommended she enter a general mental health facility such as McLean Hospital rather than the postpartum-specialist facility. Jollotta had also raised the possibility of bipolar disorder during an in-person visit with Clancy and Patrick on December 6, 2022.
According to CBS News, jurors were seen crying on Wednesday as autopsy photographs were displayed, and Judge Sullivan sent the jury out of the courtroom twice after Clancy sobbed loudly during testimony about her children. The judge indicated the jury may break early on Thursday and would have Friday off, with no testimony scheduled that day. As of Thursday, sixty-nine witnesses had testified as the prosecution moved toward the end of its witness list. Judge Sullivan also told attorneys the proceedings were reported to be 'well on schedule and somewhat ahead of schedule.'
Clancy has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham contend she planned the killings and faked a suicide attempt. Defense attorney Reddington acknowledges that Clancy killed her children but argues she should not be held criminally responsible because she was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis. If convicted of first-degree murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If the jury finds she was not criminally responsible, she would be committed to a state psychiatric hospital.
- The sources do not establish what specific evidence or arguments were made during Reddington's cross-examination of Sgt. Pavao on day thirteen beyond the opening of that cross-examination.
- The sources do not establish the full content of Sgt. Pavao's testimony beyond the confirmation of the 'suicide methods' website visit on August 23, 2022.
- The sources do not establish the outcome of the judge's decision to take arguments under advisement regarding the Lawlor/Zeizel matter.
- The sources do not establish Women and Infants Hospital's own account of why Clancy was turned away; the reason cited comes only from defense attorney Reddington.
- The sources do not establish the full extent or nature of the medications Jollotta prescribed to Clancy during her treatment period.
- Patrick Clancy is referenced in the sources but does not appear to have provided a comment or statement cited in any of the supplied articles.
- The sources do not establish how many additional witnesses the prosecution intends to call or the expected remaining length of the trial.
- The sources do not clarify the current legal or professional status of Rebecca Jollotta or whether she faces any separate proceedings related to Clancy's care.
- CBS News — original — by Penny Kmitt
- New York Post — by Zoe Hussain
- CBS News — by Matt Schooley