Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts nurse accused of killing her three young children in 2023, appeared in a courtroom in person for the first time as attorneys argued over how her mental health should be handled at trial and a judge set the next hearing for early March.
The appearance marked a shift in a case that has moved largely through remote proceedings while Clancy remained hospitalized and under close supervision. Prosecutors allege the Duxbury mother strangled her children in their home, while defense lawyers say she was suffering from severe postpartum mental illness and was heavily medicated. A key dispute now is whether jurors should hear the case in two stages, first deciding whether Clancy committed the killings and only then weighing whether mental illness made her not criminally responsible.
Clancy, 35, was brought into Plymouth District Court in a wheelchair for a motion hearing after previously appearing by video, local outlets reported. She sat quietly beside her attorneys as lawyers discussed scheduling and the handling of mental health evidence. The judge set March 2 as the next court date for arguments connected to the defense request to bifurcate the trial, a step that would separate the question of what happened from the question of her mental state at the time. The defense has also sought parameters for an evaluation by a prosecution expert and has pushed for the examination to be recorded, an issue that has surfaced repeatedly in pretrial filings.
Authorities have said the deaths occurred Jan. 24, 2023, at the family’s home in Duxbury, about 30 miles southeast of Boston. Prosecutors allege Clancy killed her daughter, Cora, 5, her son, Dawson, 3, and her youngest child, Callan, who was an infant at the time. Investigators have said Clancy then attempted suicide, an act that left her paralyzed. She has pleaded not guilty. The case drew national attention because of the ages of the children and because it raised difficult questions about postpartum disorders, treatment, and the way courts weigh psychiatric evidence in violent crimes.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has argued in court filings and public statements that Clancy’s mental state was profoundly impaired and that medication changes and underlying illness worsened her condition. Her legal team has described symptoms consistent with postpartum mental illness and has said she was overmedicated with psychiatric drugs. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have treated the case as an intentional triple killing and have opposed efforts they say could complicate or delay the proceedings. Clancy remains in state custody at a hospital, and officials have said she has been kept on suicide watch as the case advances.
In Massachusetts, a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity involves a separate legal standard from factual guilt, and that distinction is at the center of Clancy’s request. Under the split-trial approach her lawyers are seeking, jurors would first hear evidence aimed at proving whether Clancy carried out the killings. If they find she did, the trial would move to a second phase focused on criminal responsibility, including psychiatric testimony and evidence about whether she suffered from a mental disease or defect that affected her ability to understand the wrongfulness of her actions or conform her behavior to the law. Prosecutors have not said publicly what psychiatric experts they plan to call, but the court has scheduled steps for evaluations and discovery disputes ahead of the trial.
Clancy’s family was present for the hearing, according to local reports, and her mother described her as a loving parent as she watched the proceedings. Outside the courtroom, the case continued to stir strong reactions among people who have followed it since 2023, with some pointing to the allegations as evidence of horrific violence and others focusing on questions about postpartum illness and treatment. The court has also had to address the logistics of moving Clancy for in-person proceedings given her medical condition, an issue that has been discussed at prior hearings as the case moved from early arraignment steps toward a trial schedule.
The next major dates in the case include the March 2 hearing on the defense motions and an April 10 psychiatric evaluation by a prosecution expert that defense lawyers have sought to record, according to reports on the filings and court schedule. The criminal trial has been scheduled for July 2026, though pretrial rulings on expert testimony, the structure of the trial, and the scope of mental health evidence could shape how that trial unfolds. A judge could also revisit scheduling depending on the pace of evaluations and discovery.
Clancy remained in custody after the hearing, and the court did not issue a final ruling on the split-trial request at the session. The case is expected to return to court March 2, when the judge is set to hear more detailed arguments and decide next steps for psychiatric evidence and trial structure.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.