Watch Lindsay Clancy’s defense grill her former psychiatrist
In the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, defense attorney Kevin Reddington grilled Clancy’s former psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Tufts.
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The psychiatrist who treated Lindsay Clancy in the months before she allegedly strangled her three children to death testified over the course of two tense days in the Massachusetts mother’s murder trial.
Dr. Jennifer Tufts first began treating Clancy in September 2022, roughly four months after Clancy gave birth to her third child. Tufts treated her through January 2023, when Clancy allegedly killed her three children – Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months – and attempted suicide at her Duxbury, Massachusetts, home.
Clancy, 35, has pleaded not guilty to all three counts. Prosecutors allege that she planned the murders by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then strangling the children with exercise bands while he was gone. Afterward, Clancy cut her wrists and neck and jumped out of a second-story window, leaving her paralyzed.
Her defense argues that Clancy lacks criminal responsibility because she was suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis at the time of the killings – also known as an insanity defense.
Tufts, who is named as a defendant in two separate civil medical malpractice lawsuits filed by Clancy and her ex-husband Patrick Clancy, was called by prosecutors on Friday, Aug. 7, the ninth day of testimony. She returned to the stand on Monday, Aug. 10, for cross-examination by Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington and redirect examination by prosecutors.
Here’s a recap of highlights from Tufts’ testimony.
Psychiatrist says Lindsay Clancy was apprehensive to take medication
Tufts said Lindsay Clancy began seeing her because she was having difficulty sleeping and experiencing anxiety. Clancy was initially apprehensive about taking medication because she was concerned about experiencing side effects, Tufts testified.
During their first appointment on Sept. 15, 2022, Tufts initially prescribed Clancy sertraline – commonly known by its brand name, Zoloft. She directed Clancy to take an initial dose of 25 milligrams, before increasing to 50 milligrams after a week. She also diagnosed Clancy with generalized anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
During their next appointment, on Sept. 28, 2022, Clancy told Tufts she had picked up the prescription but decided not to take it.
At an appointment on Oct. 20, 2022, Clancy told Tufts then that she had begun taking the medication a week prior, but she experienced negative side effects when she increased the dose as directed the night before. Tufts told her to stop taking the medication and recommended natural remedies instead.
When asked by a prosecutor why she suggested supplements, Tufts said, “It was because she seemed reluctant to start a prescribed medication. I thought she might be more open to something that was natural.”
Lindsay Clancy was worried about suicidal thoughts, psychiatrist says
On Oct. 21, 2022, Tufts and Clancy met again and Tufts prescribed lorazepam – brand name Ativan – at 0.5 milligrams as needed when she had severe anxiety.
Five days later, Tufts and Clancy had another appointment, during which Clancy reported that the Ativan helped her feel less anxious but did not help her sleep. She said she was using Benadryl as a sleep aid.
The doctor prescribed 5 milligrams of the anxiety medication buspirone twice daily, as well as 25 milligrams of hydroxyzine – an antihistamine that would have similar effects to Benadryl – daily. At that point, she was still apprehensive about taking new medication, Tufts said.
On Nov. 2, 2022, they met and discussed alternatives to Ativan because Tufts did not intend for Clancy to take it long term. She had not begun taking the buspirone at that point. Separately, in November, Clancy began treatment at the South Shore Perinatal Behavioral Health clinic, where she was prescribed other medications by different providers, Tufts testified.
In December and January, Tufts and Clancy continued meeting to figure out a combination of medications that would address her anxiety and depression, as well as issues with sleep. In between, she was seen at Massachusetts General Hospital for suicidal thoughts and also admitted to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric facility.
Tufts testified that Clancy told her in December 2022 about intrusive thoughts and that she felt “close” to having suicidal thoughts.
“She denied having suicidal ideation, but she was feeling pretty badly,” Tufts testified. “She was close to it, meaning close to having some suicidal thoughts, and that she was feeling very hopeless, but she didn’t have any active thoughts of hurting herself, didn’t have any intention of doing anything, didn’t have any plans.”
Defense attorney, psychiatrist spar during testimony in Lindsay Clancy trial
On Aug. 10, Tufts and Reddington, the defense attorney, at times sparred during testimony. Judge William Sullivan instructed both on several occasions to allow the other to finish speaking.
At the end of Reddington’s cross-examination, he showed Tufts a copy of her notes from her Oct. 21, 2022, appointment with Clancy.
Describing Clancy’s affect and demeanor during the appointment, Tufts wrote in her notes, “not hyper, pressured speech.”
Pressured speech is fast, continuous speaking that can suggest mania. Tufts said throughout her testimony that Clancy never exhibited any signs of psychosis or mania during her treatment.
Reddington interpreted the notes as Clancy displaying pressured speech during the appointment. Tufts said she meant for the “not” to apply to both “hyper” and “pressured speech,” meaning Clancy did not display pressured speech.
“I don’t care what it says. I know what I meant,” Tufts said in a tense exchange.
Tufts grilled about her experience during trial testimony
Tufts’ career experience came under question during her testimony, with Reddington probing the doctor about her background in perinatal and postpartum care.
When she began seeing Lindsay Clancy, Tufts was roughly one month into her career as an independently practicing psychiatrist, she testified.
After graduating from the University of Vermont’s medical school in 2018, Tufts did a postgraduate residency in psychiatry at Boston University’s Boston Medical Center until 2022, she said. She began working at Aster Mental Health in August 2022 before first seeing Lindsay Clancy in September 2022.
When asked by Reddington how many patients she treated for postpartum psychosis in the month between starting at Aster Mental Health and seeing Lindsay Clancy, Tufts said, “In the span of one month, I would say none because it’s a very rare disorder.”
Similarly asked about how many patients with postpartum depression she treated between August and September of 2022, Tufts said, “I don’t know, maybe a couple. But I’ve treated many of them in the residency, which was just immediately before.”
Reddington also raised questions about Tufts’ bio on Aster Mental Health’s website, which lists perinatal psychiatry as one of her areas of expertise.
“If in fact it’s determined that you advertised as an expert in postpartum and in postpartum psychiatry and you’ve had a month of experience plus a residency, would you consider that to be negligent or misrepresentation?” he asked.
“I do not believe that I have been negligent,” Tufts replied.
On redirect examination from the prosecution, Tufts said she worked in an obstetrics clinic with pregnant and postpartum patients for about a year during her residency. She also said she worked with many patients throughout that time who had psychosis.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.