A Massachusetts mother, facing accusations of strangling her three young children, is making a bold legal move that could shift the trial’s emphasis to her mental health and possibly prevent a prison sentence. Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse from Duxbury, intends to formally admit to her role in the tragic events, as per a recent motion by her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington.

This development follows the court’s recent decision to deny Clancy’s request to divide her trial into distinct phases that would separate the act itself from her mental state at the time. Reddington’s filing, accessed by WCVB5, urges the court to reconsider. He argues that Clancy’s admission would pivot the jury’s focus squarely onto her mental condition during the time of the incident.

According to the filing, Clancy is prepared to acknowledge her involvement in the actions that resulted in the deaths of her children. This admission could make her mental state the critical factor for the jury’s deliberation.

In February 2026, Lindsay Clancy was brought into Plymouth Superior Court in a wheelchair. Following the tragic events, she became paraplegic after attempting to harm herself by jumping from her home’s second-story window. She faces murder charges in connection with her children’s deaths. (Photo by Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Should the court find Clancy mentally unfit for trial, Massachusetts law allows for her commitment to a secure mental health facility, potentially sparing her from a prison sentence.

If she is ultimately deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, she could be committed to a secure mental health facility rather than face prison under Massachusetts law.

Prosecutors have not agreed to the proposal. They previously opposed the idea of separating the trial, arguing that the evidence presented in each phase would be nearly identical.

Clancy was indicted in September 2023 on three counts of murder and strangulation in connection with the deaths of her children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan.

Prosecutors allege that Clancy used exercise bands to strangle the children inside the family’s Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023, before attempting to take her own life.

Exterior view of the home of Patrick and Lindsay Clancy in Duxbury, MA on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Lindsay Clancy, 32, allegedly killed their three children here before attempting to take her own life on January 24, 2023. (David McGlynn/Fox News Digital)

Her husband, Patrick Clancy, returned home to what court documents describe as silence. He found blood on the floor and an open window before discovering his wife outside with cuts to her wrists and neck. She survived the apparent suicide attempt.

Previously unsealed records, spanning nearly 300 pages, detail Clancy’s actions in the hours leading up to the killings.

According to court documents, she had taken one of her children to a pediatrician appointment earlier that day and contacted a CVS pharmacy about a prescription. She also ordered takeout from a local restaurant and used Apple Maps to calculate travel time from her home.

Lindsay Clancy with two of their three children in this undated photo. (Lindsay Marie Clancy/ Facebook)

Investigators say she then asked her husband to pick up the food and medication, leaving her alone with the children.

Authorities later executed multiple search warrants and collected items from the home, including exercise bands, medications, electronic devices, notebooks, clothing and a knife.

Lindsay Clancy listens to the Plymouth Superior Court proceedings on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, from Tewksbury Hospital.  (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Clancy’s defense team has indicated it will argue she was suffering from severe postpartum depression and was overmedicated at the time of the killings.

Court records show she had been prescribed a number of psychiatric medications, including Zoloft, Prozac, Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, Trazodone and Seroquel.

Her husband previously told a family friend he was concerned she may have been experiencing withdrawal from an anxiety medication in the weeks before the tragedy.

Clancy has also filed a lawsuit against her medical providers, alleging a catastrophic failure in diagnosing and treating her mental health condition.

Lindsay Clancy, charged with the murder of her three children in Duxbury in 2023, appears in Plymouth Superior Court on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Clancy remains paralyzed from the chest down following her suicide attempt, her attorney has said, and is being held at Tewksbury State Hospital where she continues to receive psychiatric care under constant supervision. 

She is expected to undergo a court-ordered forensic mental health evaluation between April 10 and April 12, with a status hearing scheduled for April 23, according to NBC10 Boston. Clancy’s trial is scheduled to begin July 20 after being delayed several times.