Lindsay Clancy’s Ex-Husband Patrick Fights Back Tears While Describing Late Children as Trial Begins

Patrick Clancy struggled to get through his testimony without breaking down.

The ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy — the Duxbury, Massachusetts, mother standing trial for the murders of their three young children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — took the stand Monday, July 27, as the prosecution’s first witness at Plymouth Superior Court.

When asked to describe his late children, Patrick visibly choked back tears, breathing heavily as he spoke about each one, according to a video shared by Court TV on Instagram.

As per CT Insider, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague later showed the jury photos of the three children and asked Patrick about their personalities.

According to Patrick, Cora loved taking care of people, while Dawson was obsessed with the show Paw Patrol.

Lindsay, 36, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cora, Dawson and Callan. Her attorney says Lindsay will pursue what’s commonly known as an “insanity defense,” arguing she was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for her actions.

Police said Patrick found the children with exercise bands around their necks on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, after discovering Lindsay injured outside their home.

As Globe previously reported, Patrick testified that Lindsay’s mental health began to decline around early December 2022, after she started a new medication. “That was really where her big spiral started,” he said.

Lindsay told him she was having suicidal thoughts and intrusive thoughts about harming the children, though Patrick said he wasn’t concerned for their safety at the time because she showed no sign of acting on those thoughts.

In the hours before the killings, Lindsay had what Patrick described as “one of her best days,” as reported by CNN. She built a snowman and played outside with the children.

Before leaving to pick up dinner, he kissed one of the kids on the head and told his family he would “be right back.”

Prosecutors say Lindsay used the exercise bands to strangle all three children while she sent Patrick out to pick up takeout and medication.

Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham told jurors that the three kids were “deliberately and meticulously killed” by their mother during her opening statement in court, FOX News affiliate KTVU reported.

Opening the prosecution’s case in Plymouth Superior Court, Buckingham said, “They were strangled, deliberately and meticulously killed by this defendant.”

Lindsay, who has shown little emotion since her arrest, cried in court and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as those details were read aloud.

Patrick’s testimony is expected to continue Wednesday, July 29. The trial is ongoing, and no verdict has been reached.

On Friday, July 24, the Boston Herald reported that a judge ordered the media not to record, display, reproduce, distribute, or otherwise share the 911 call and autopsy photos of the three children, at Patrick’s request.

Patrick, who is remarried, also appears on the defense’s witness list.

In the immediate aftermath of the killings, the father of three stood by his former wife and asked others to forgive her, “as I have,” according to a GoFundMe that raised more than $1 million.

“We mutually understood the reality that people can have bad days, but we stuck to the rule that when one of us got lost, the other was always there to bring them home, always,” he wrote.

“She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father.”

In 2024, The New Yorker reported that Patrick has built a new life for himself while navigating his deep grief of losing his three children he doted on — signing up to run the Boston Marathon for a children’s medical charity after the family tragedy and volunteering as a guide for blind runners.

In a powerful statement about the illness he believes drove his ex-wife’s devastating actions, Patrick told the outlet, “I wasn’t married to a monster. I was married to someone who got sick.”

According to the New York Post, Patrick has quietly moved on since losing his kids and has married Dr. Rachel Danis, a New York City fertility doctor, in April 2026 at the Ladies Pavilion in Central Park.

The trial is ongoing, and no verdict has been reached.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach the toll-free Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (dial 888-628-9454 for assistance in Spanish). You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor anytime by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.