Friend Testifies Lindsay Clancy Warned Her About “Dark Thoughts” Days Before Her Children’s Deaths

Three of Lindsay Clancy’s friends and her former father-in-law testified Thursday, offering the jury a closer look at her mental state in the months leading up to the January 2023 killings.

Lindsay Clancy is currently facing murder charges in connection with the deaths of her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. Her trial entered its second week on Thursday, Aug. 6, as prosecutors continued presenting testimony about her behavior and mental health before the tragedy.

 

One of the day’s key witnesses was Amy Bevins, a childhood friend who told jurors that Clancy appeared relatively normal when they met for breakfast with other friends in November 2022.

But Bevins said the situation appeared different in January 2023, shortly before Clancy killed her children.

According to Bevins’ testimony, Clancy sent her a text message in which she described experiencing “dark thoughts” that she believed were connected to medication she was taking.

Despite the troubling message, Bevins said Clancy’s text also carried a sense of hope. Clancy reportedly explained that she was transitioning to a different medication and appeared to believe the change might improve her condition.

Bevins also told the court that she later visited Clancy while she was in custody. The two did not discuss the children or the killings during that meeting. Bevins said Clancy’s sister had previously advised her not to raise those subjects.

 

Another friend, Bethany DeCollibus, also testified about seeing Clancy at Cora’s birthday party in January 2023.

DeCollibus recalled Clancy previously discussing her struggles with sleep. At the birthday gathering, Clancy reportedly told her that she “felt like a zombie.” DeCollibus said she was concerned about the extent of Clancy’s difficulties with sleep.

Andrea Hennigan, a friend and fellow nurse, provided additional testimony about Clancy’s condition. Hennigan said Clancy had spoken about problems sleeping in November 2022 and later mentioned experiencing “brain fog.”

Prosecutors then called Christopher Clancy, the father of Patrick Clancy and grandfather of the three children, to testify.

Christopher described Lindsay as a good mother and said she generally appeared to behave normally in the months before the killings. At times, however, he recalled seeing signs that she seemed nervous or unusually blank.

He also remembered receiving a phone call from Patrick on the night the children died.

“It was terrible,” Christopher recalled while describing the call.

 

The testimony comes as prosecutors and the defense present sharply different explanations for what happened to Lindsay Clancy.

Clancy does not dispute that she killed her children. Her attorneys argue, however, that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and had been affected by an extensive medication regimen, leaving her not criminally responsible for the deaths.

Prosecutors are presenting testimony from people who interacted with Clancy before the killings as they seek to establish what her mental state and behavior were during the period leading up to Jan. 24, 2023.