Lindsay Clancy’s stricken mother testified in disturbing element Monday how her daughter advised her a month earlier than killing her three youngsters that she considered harming them.
Paula Musgrove advised the jury that one evening in early- to mid-December 2022, Clancy admitted to Musgrove and Clancy’s then-husband, Patrick Clancy, that she had darkish ideas about hurting youngsters Cora, 5, Dawson, 3 and 8-month-old Callan.
Lindsay went on to fatally strangle the youngsters with train bands at her and Patrick’s Duxbury, Mass., dwelling Jan. 24, 2023, after which instantly tried to kill herself.
“I keep in mind her being very nervous,” Musgrove advised jurors within the horrific Plymouth, Mass., case, referring to the evening her daughter advised her and Patrick about her darkish ideas.
Musgrove mentioned the three have been within the household’s kitchen when Lindsday mentioned, “I simply should let you know guys one thing.”
“She advised us that she had ideas of harming the youngsters,” recalled Musgrove, the third witness to testify on Lindsay’s behalf, after prosecutors rested their case earlier Monday.
“I keep in mind Pat asking her if she felt like she couldn’t be alone with the youngsters, and he or she mentioned, ‘No,’ ” Musgrove mentioned.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague adopted up by asking if Musgrove if she ever considered having Lindsay dedicated to a psychological establishment.
“No,” Musgrove responded.
Sprague mentioned, “Had been you involved for the youngsters’s security at that time limit?”
“No, as a result of I used to be there,” Musgrove mentioned.
The mom and grandmother defined that as Lindsay’s psychological well being started deteriorating within the 4 months earlier than the slayings, she began staying along with her daughter for days at a time to assist with the children and to supply ethical help.
On Oct. 20, 2022, Lindsay texted Musgrove, “Mother will you please come up and stick with me for a bit.
“I’m actually sick. One thing is mistaken. I’ve horrible insomnia all evening and I simply don’t know the way I’m going to get by way of the day,” Lindsay wrote.
“I began taking medication my physician prescribed for nervousness and I feel it’s made issues worse. It’s simply actually scared and I don’t need to be alone.”
Her mom responded, “Sure, I’ll come right this moment.
“I’ll be there late morning, okay?”
Musgrove, who lived in Connecticut, drove as much as Massachusetts that day and stayed till Oct. 24, kicking off a string of stays on the Duxbury dwelling.
The grandma mentioned she went “backwards and forwards so many instances” she may hardly preserve monitor of the visits.
When Musgrove wasn’t along with her daughter, she would textual content her day by day to examine in on her sleep, her temper and the way she was dealing with her drugs, the grandma advised the jury, who have been learn a slew of these messages.
For instance, on Jan. 19, 2023 — 5 days earlier than the youngsters’s deaths — Musgrove texted her daughter, “How are you feeling right this moment?
“Are you able to inform if something is completely different with the brand new remedy.”
Lindsay responded she was OK and that the brand new remedy may take weeks to actually kick in.
Lindsay’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, needs a jury to search out her not responsible by cause of madness on the grounds she was affected by extreme postpartum psychosis made worse by a revolving door of highly effective psychiatric drugs. Reddington additionally claims Lindsay heard voices telling her to commit the horrific acts.
Jurors have heard testimony that Lindsay was given 30 prescriptions for 13 medication by a handful of suppliers within the 4 months resulting in the killings. She additionally did a five-day stint in a psychological establishment weeks earlier than due to having intrusive suicidal ideas.
Musgrove choked up when she spoke about her grandkids.
“I like my grandchildren with all my coronary heart, and you’ll by no means know what it’s like to like a grandchild till you change into a grandmother,” Musgrove mentioned, her voice breaking.
She additionally gushed about the kind of mother that Lindsay was for the children, saying she “was a really loving mom.
“She was devoted to her youngsters,” Musgrove mentioned. “She was a enjoyable mom. She was at all times doing issues for her youngsters. She at all times wished to be a mom and have many youngsters. I felt it was one of the best factor to occur to her. She would do something for her youngsters.”
However throughout October by way of January, Musgrove mentioned, she witnessed Lindsay’s decline, along with her daughter so afraid to be alone she as soon as requested her mother to sleep along with her at evening, which she did.
She mentioned Lindsay was anxious, paranoid and didn’t even need to drive. So Musgrove would drive her daughter to choose the children up from faculty.
The grandmother watched child Callan when Lindsay threw Cora her birthday celebration Jan. 7, 2023, and when Lindsay went with Patrick, Dawson and Cora to their associates home days earlier than the murders — all makes an attempt to hold on with a standard life, Musgrove advised the jury.
By January, “Lindsay had misplaced a whole lot of weight, had change into paranoid about various things that actually weren’t logical,” Musgrove mentioned. “She would point out this wasn’t her thoughts. ‘This isn’t me. I’ve by no means been like this earlier than,’ and I might agree.”
Later in January, Musgrove recalled Lindsay telling her concerning the unwanted side effects of her meds.
“She mentioned she couldn’t keep in mind something. The remedy was destroying her thoughts, and it wasn’t her,” Musgrove mentioned.
Lindsay mentioned, “‘I need to really feel higher and revel in my youngsters once more,’” the mother recounted.
Final week, a GoFundMe account was arrange for Musgrove — a retired Weight Watchers worker — and her husband Mike Musgrove, a not too long ago retired photographer.
The web page has raised almost $850,000 out of its $2 million objective.
It particulars how the dad and mom have been compelled to spend their retirement cash on touring from their Connecticut dwelling to Massachusetts within the two and a half years since Lindsay has been hospitalized pending her trial.
“The aim of this fund is to assist Mike and Paula rebuild the monetary stability they’ve sacrificed over these previous three years,” the positioning says. “Contributions will assist cowl the gathered prices of journey, lodging, dwelling bills, and different household bills arising from their continued help of Lindsay all through her case.”
Lindsay has been within the hospital since she tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists and neck and throwing herself from the second-story of her dwelling. She was left partially paralyzed and is now wheelchair-bound.
In the event you or somebody you realize 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’ll be able to dial the 24/7 Nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
