Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer spent hours Monday grilling the shrink who handled Clancy within the months earlier than she strangled her three children — ripping the physician for less than having a month on the job earlier than she began treating the troubled mother.
Dr. Jennifer Tufts took the witness stand for the second day at Clancy’s Plymouth, Mass., trial and was subjected to a relentless and blistering cross-examination by Kevin Reddington.
“When you promote as an knowledgeable in postpartum and you’ve got a month of expertise, plus a residency, would you contemplate that to be negligent or misrepresentation?” Reddington stated.
“I don’t consider that I’ve been negligent,” Tufts responded.
“You actually need this jury to consider you had been an knowledgeable?” the lawyer pressed.
“I don’t consider that’s the wording that I used. I stated it was an curiosity of mine … I don’t consider I referred to as myself an knowledgeable,” Tufts stated.
The 35-year-old Duxbury mom first noticed Tufts on Sept. 15, 2022, 4 months earlier than she killed children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan after which tried to kill herself on Jan. 24, 2023.
Clancy appeared emotional at occasions as Reddington pressured Tufts to dissect each motion she made in Clancy’s case.
Tufts, 36, admitted that she had solely been with a personal observe Aster Psychological Well being — her first job out of her residency — for one month earlier than she began treating Clancy.
“I used to be practising independently … for a couple of month, however the coaching is immense,” Tufts stated of her four-year residency by Boston Medical Heart, which included a 12 months working with a postpartum specialist.
Reddington additionally questioned Tufts about the truth that Clancy and her then-husband, Patrick Clancy, had each filed medical malpractice lawsuits in opposition to Tufts and different suppliers for allegedly misdiagnosing and overmedicating Clancy.
“You’re a defendant in a really massive lawsuit, proper?” Reddington requested.
The prosecution objected, however Choose William Sullivan allowed Tufts to reply.
“Sure,” Tufts admitted.
“You already know the end result on this case is main to the end result in your lawsuit, proper?” Reddington requested.
“I don’t truly know that,” the shrink responded.
Reddington additionally laid into Tufts for allegedly prescribing Clancy antidepressant remedy Zoloft which has a recognized side-effect of insomnia — certainly one of Clancy’s main postpartum signs. And the lawyer repeatedly questioned why Tufts solely noticed Clancy over video and by no means in-person.
“Why would prescribe Zoloft to a younger girl who’s postpartum, who’s telling you she has anxiousness and telling you she will’t sleep? She has all of those signs and also you prescribe a drugs with a facet impact of hassle sleeping?” Reddington stated.
“People have very different responses to drugs,” Tufts replied. “Some haven’t any negative effects, some have one or two. It’s unattainable to foretell.”
“Zoloft is a top-choice, a first-line remedy for folks with anxiousness,” the psychiatrist continued.
Clancy solely took Zoloft for eight days after experiencing a slew of insupportable signs after rising her dosage on the eighth day.
Tuft wrote in her notes she was “crying all day” the day earlier than seeing her on Oct. 20, 2022, she had mind fog, racing ideas, anxiousness and he or she was “paranoid of getting suicidal ideas,” the jury realized.
The labor and supply nurse — on maternity depart after giving delivery to her third youngster, son Callan, in Could — was additionally “terrified to start out” a brand new drug, the physician stated.
Tufts informed Clancy to instantly cease the remedy and mentioned various choices for her, the physician testified.
“That should have made you fairly involved?” Reddington requested.
“I used to be involved, sure. I gave her some therapies,” Tufts stated, noting she additionally mentioned Clancy’s choices.
Tufts admitted she was solely seeing Clancy in individual for the primary time when she started testifying on Friday.
“Did you give her a hug? Oh no, you had been on telehealth so that you couldn’t, may you?” Reddington stated.
“I couldn’t give her a hug however that’s not one thing psychiatrists usually do with sufferers,” Tufts answered.
Tufts continued to see Clancy within the coming months as she spiraled downwards, switching drugs a number of occasions, going to the hospital twice for suicidal ideas, and searching for remedy from a number of suppliers who all prescribed varied psychiatric drugs, the jury has realized.
However Clancy insisted throughout all of her periods that she wouldn’t hurt herself or her children, although she did admit she had considered suicide.
Reddington requested Tufts if she knew Clancy had opened as much as Patrick round mid-December 2022 about having ideas of harming the children.
“No,” Tufts stated. “If I heard that I’d have been very involved.”
“You’d have referred to as DCF, proper?” Reddington requested, referring to the Division of Youngsters and Households.
“I may need,” she responded.
Tufts additionally maintained she by no means noticed indicators of psychosis in Clancy and he or she didn’t consider Clancy had bipolar dysfunction as a result of she by no means confirmed indicators of mania.
Reddington desires to ask the jury to seek out Clancy not responsible by motive of madness on the grounds she was within the throes of extreme postpartum psychosis, partially brought on by the drugs that will worsen Clancy’s alleged bipolar dysfunction. He has additionally claimed she heard a voice telling her to commit the heinous acts.
Later Monday, jurors heard from nurse practitioner, Julie Paul, who briefly handled Clancy at a clinic at South Shore Hospital that specialised in treating ladies with postpartum.
She tried one med for 3 days and Clancy had dangerous negative effects so she prescribed some others throughout a weeklong span. She then handed Clancy off to a different practitioner as a result of she was leaving the observe.
Paul is anticipated to be cross-examined by Reddington Tuesday morning.
After strangling her children, Clancy slit her wrists and neck and threw herself out of the upstairs window of her residence. She partially paralyzed herself within the fall and is now wheelchair certain.
When you or somebody is affected by any of the problems raised on this story, name the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or textual content Disaster Textual content Line at 741741.
If you’re fighting suicidal ideas, you possibly can dial the 24/7 Nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
