Lindsay Clancy murder trial hears from psychiatrist who treated nurse mom before her post-partum killings of her three young children: Live updates

The hospital reviewed Clancy’s medical notes and evaluated her.

The psychiatrist testified that Clancy had ‘thoughts of wishing to be dead but no plan’ and had had ‘suicidal thoughts that she attributed to medication.’

When she was evaluated, the psychiatrists found that Clancy had a major depressive disorder – severe – but without psychotic conditions.

Clancy was admitted as an in-patient. The staff determined that she needed the lowest level of supervision, of 15 minute checks.

Clancy arrived at McLean in the early hours of January 1, 2023.

She was brought to the hospital by ambulance after going to the emergency room. But once she arrived, she admitted herself voluntarily.

Clancy was evaluated by another psychiatrist.

Clancy said she ‘felt numb’ and was unable to sleep without medications. But she also said she was having side effects from medication, the psychiatrist said.

In a fiery moment, Judge William Sullivan rebuked defense attorney Kevin Reddington after he repeatedly objected to the line of questioning.

Reddington pointed out that Clancy admitted herself to the hospital voluntarily – so the jury does not need to hear all of these details.

‘You’re not hearing me!’ the judge exclaimed.

Jurors are watching the psychiatrist attentively while she testifies, with several taking down notes.

Dr Goodheart explained that patients are usually admitted to the hospital from an emergency department, following a section 12 – where a doctor, social worker or psychologist refers them due to a mental health condition.

Before being admitted they undergo an evaluation by a psychiatrist to determine what medication they might need and the appropriate unit they should be placed on. The in-patient units involve various levels of checks on the patients: 15 minute checks, 5 minute checks and one-to-one where the patient is not left on their own at all.

They are also assigned a mental health worker and a nurse.

A section 10 is where a patient admits themself voluntarily.

For a voluntary stay, they can leave any time as long as the psychiatrists do not deem them to be a danger to themself or others.

Dr Alia Goodheart is a psychiatrist at McLean Hospital – a psychiatric hospital in Boston.

Clancy voluntarily admitted herself to McLean Hospital on New Year’s 2022 due to her deteriorating mental health.

She stayed for five days before she was discharged on time to attend Cora’s fifth birthday party.

Under cross-examination, she confirmed that -besides the January 2023 event – she had only seen Clancy once since fall 2022 when she saw her at a school drop-off one time.

She also confirmed that while they were social, they were not close.

But she noticed that Clancy did look thinner in January 2023, she said.

On January 22, 2023 – two days before the killings – Patrick, Lindsay, Cora and Dawson came to the Carney home for a bonfire.

Callan was at home with Clancy’s parents.

Clancy seemed ‘fairly normal’ but ‘quiet’ that day.

When she asked Clancy how she was, she said she said fine and that was the end of the conversation. Clancy never mentioned anything about postpartum depression to her.

After the births of each of Clancy’s children, there was no noticeable change in her demeanor.

She recalled Clancy seemed to exercise often and had posted a video on Facebook of her working out in the kitchen.

In the video, the children were playing with exercise bands in the background.

It is unclear if these were the bands later used to strangle them.

Clancy is watching Carney attentively from the defense table.

The second witness is Sarah Carney, a friend of Patrrick and Lindsay Clancy.

She went to school with Patrick and then met Clancy in adulthood, around 13 years ago.

Her husband Kyle Carney testified on Thursday about seeing the Clancy family two days before the killings. Their two families were close.

Under cross-examination, she confirmed that Clancy appeared to be good with her children.

She was ‘never angry’ and the kids were ‘always excited to see her.’

She asked why Callan wouldn’t also be left at the playroom and was told that there were concerns about the baby getting colds from other children.

Usually when Clancy dropped the children off, it was in the morning.

She last saw Cora and Dawson on January 17, 2023 when Clancy dropped them off that morning.

That last day, Cora drew a picture and left it at the playroom.

The mom-of-three and children were their usual selves, she said.

The first witness today is Kimberlee Hardy.

In January 2023, she worked at the Kingsbury Club – a members-only tennis and health club – in Brockton, Massachusetts.

She worked in the kids’ playroom there where parents could drop off their children for two hours while they work out.

Cora and Dawson would often come to the playroom there.

She mainly encountered Patrick dropping off and picking up the children but sometimes saw Clancy. When asked how Clancy’s demeanor was, she said she was ‘shy.’