Lindsay Clancy's ex-father-in-law testifies at her murder trial

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Good afternoon, sir. Can you stop right there? Raise your right hand for the clerk, please. [00:00:15] Speaker 2: Good afternoon. It's all I'm sorry with the testimony in the end, actually. We'll get to the floor. [00:00:19] Lindsay: Thank you, sir. You may have a seat. [00:00:27] Speaker 2: okay good afternoon sir good afternoon all right thank you good afternoon can you please state and spell your name for the record say that again i'm sorry could you please state and spell your name [00:00:45] Lindsay: for the record yes christopher william clancy ch-r-i-s-t-o-p-h-e-r-w-c-l-a-n-c-y and what's your date of birth 7 26 61. where do you live situate mass and do you work uh no i'm retired [00:01:07] Speaker 2: what did you do before you retired i was a plumbing contractor is patrick clancy your son yes [00:01:16] Lindsay: when did you first meet lindsay clancy uh i don't know what the year was um but i believe i met her for the first time at my uh at the cottage in hull that was my parents house and um i believe that's [00:01:32] Speaker 2: when i met him i think he brought it on there was that um before or after the she and patrick had gotten engaged that was before and eventually they got engaged and got married correct correct and had three children correct correct so i want to direct your attention to the time frame after callan was born in may of 2022 did you have a chance to observe lindsay interact with callan yes and what was lindsay like with callan uh she was very mothering and um was she um protective i would say yes like any mother would be do you recall describing her um previously as very protective of him um i would say that she was very protective of him uh would she um in terms of how protective she was of callan versus dawson and cora was she more less or the same i would say she was more of the [00:02:36] Lindsay: same when the babies were little you know when the babies were young so is that something typical when [00:02:41] Speaker 2: she would have one of the children should be very protective when they were first born yes i think that's like any other mother though and um how often would you um see the family [00:02:55] Lindsay: uh we saw them regularly they lived not too far from us they lived in weymouth first and we saw them regularly and then eventually they moved to duxbury yes [00:03:04] Speaker 2: and um directing your attention to the time frame between november 16 2022 and thanksgiving of that [00:03:12] Lindsay: year did you see them at your house i think we would i think they did come up to our house one time once uh must might have been a saturday or sunday and why did they come over that day i think they [00:03:26] Speaker 2: just came over to say hi and um what was the um what was lindsay's demeanor that day very good and uh was there any difference in her behavior or speech pattern than what you've seen with her previously not that day and how was that visit very good did you then see them um at or around [00:03:52] Lindsay: thanksgiving yes we did okay and where was that that was at my daughter lara's house in hamilton [00:04:00] Speaker 2: i'm sorry i didn't in hamilton and um did you interact with lindsay that day yes what was her [00:04:06] Lindsay: demeanor that day uh she seemed a little um how do you say it um let me think for a minute she seemed [00:04:16] Speaker 2: quiet she seemed quiet okay and um did she seem to interact with everyone there as she normally would [00:04:25] Lindsay: yeah she was very close with my daughters and um her sister-in-law do you recall them wearing [00:04:30] Speaker 2: coordinating shirts that day i think so and um during dinner that day did you make observations of lindsay getting the kids settled down for dinner i did and um did you see her interact with dawson uh yes i did and can you describe that interaction please [00:04:58] Lindsay: she was getting a little frustrated dawson was being a little silly and she was trying to get him to sit down and uh she was just a little bit getting frustrated with him and i noticed it [00:05:08] Speaker 2: so i got up to help her and um when you saw her getting frustrated with him did you see her do [00:05:15] Lindsay: something to get him seated she took him by the arm to get him seated it wasn't anything crazy right you [00:05:22] Speaker 2: know it's not like she hit him or anything no no she just took his arm and guided him to the seat is that correct correct um but you could see that she was frustrated i could and so you stepped in to help [00:05:32] Lindsay: her right correct and what did you do to help i got her a plate i believe there were a lot of people [00:05:39] Speaker 2: so it was just a little chaotic now um directing your attention to um the weekend before christmas 2022 um did you stop by their home that weekend i believe we did yeah and um who was there her parents uh so it'd be lindsay's parents lindsay patrick and the kids yes and was uh were you by yourself or with your wife i was with my wife and um was there a specific point for everyone stopping by and gathering that day uh i don't remember i don't recall that okay um where were you and your wife [00:06:23] Lindsay: checking in or helping out that day we might have just been going down to check on things okay did you [00:06:29] Speaker 2: know that there were some struggles going on at that point i did um and did you know that lindsay was specifically lindsay was having some struggles at that point yes did you stop by again um a few nights before christmas [00:06:47] Lindsay: uh i thought that's the night you were talking about [00:06:51] Speaker 2: um yes i guess we did okay and um when you stopped by the night before christmas do you recall who was [00:07:01] Lindsay: there that day i think the same people but i'm not positive so lindsay's parents lindsay patrick [00:07:08] Speaker 2: and the kids yes and um what was lindsay's demeanor that day it was okay it wasn't terrible do you recall testifying previously and saying that she seemed like she was in good spirits yes would that be accurate yes and when you were there at the house that day did you make plans for [00:07:32] Lindsay: the following day for christmas day yes we made plans to go to mass and who was going to go to mass uh lindsay patrick the kids uh my wife sue and me and did you all um i'll strike that the following day [00:07:47] Speaker 2: on christmas did you go over to um lindsay's home uh before going to mass yes okay did you all gather for breakfast i don't recall and um let me approach page 33 um if you can just read to yourself lines two through seven and then just look up when you're done okay take your time all right okay does that refresh your memory sir yes so did you go over that day for breakfast yes and um how [00:08:38] Lindsay: was lindsay's demeanor that day it was good she looked beautiful she had a beautiful dress on [00:08:45] Speaker 2: and do you recall saying previously she seemed very happy that day yes she did and after breakfast did um did everyone go to church as planned yes and um how are the children in church fantastic very well behaved very well um and then after church um did you have a conversation um with lindsay outside [00:09:06] Lindsay: of the church i think we talked a little bit i don't remember what we said um but we were going our [00:09:13] Speaker 2: separate ways do you recall um saying previously that lindsay said she was glad she came and she really loved it yes um what was her demeanor while she was engaging with you after mass she was quiet she said that she liked the mass and she was really happy that she went and um do you recall saying before um that um strike that um do you recall after that conversation um you guys hugged each other and went your separate ways did you see the family again after christmas um i'm not sure i'm not sure did you go to core's birthday party no was it more of a kids gathering at a trampoline place that's what i heard okay yeah all right did you have plans to see them um tuesday january 24th 2023 no do you recall um saying previously that there were plans to get together for dinner that night but they changed because your wife um had plans with her brother no we we never had plans to go there tuesday [00:10:51] Lindsay: night they asked us to come to the tuesday night but we already had plans with sue sister joan okay so [00:10:57] Speaker 2: there weren't set plans but you were asked to come to their house that night yeah okay um and then you couldn't couldn't go because you had other plans right we were going to make it for friday thank you for clarifying that um in terms of your interaction um with lindsay and patrick and the kids um while there were some struggles going on um did you and your wife offer to take the kids um to your house overnight to to kind of give them a break i did mention that to my son okay and was um was that offer declined yes and um going back to um thanksgiving of 2022 when you were interacting with lindsay um i think you you before you previously said um that she her demeanor was good she was quiet did you also say at one point she had a little blankness to her at times she seemed to attempt and can you tell us like what that was just like a stare yeah kind of staring off into the distance distracted no just not totally [00:12:10] Lindsay: interacting you know just sort of okay so at some points almost like nervous kind of like nerves almost [00:12:17] Speaker 2: just like you know something like that okay so at some points she was staring a little bit seemed a little nervous but then at other times she was interacting with everyone as she normally would pretty much okay um you mentioned earlier um when you were talking about lindsay having a little bit of difficulty getting dawson seated at thanksgiving that um he was um being a little um silly yeah was was that typical for him to behave in that way yeah he was a handful but he was good he was a good boy um going back to the night of january 24th 2023 um at some point in time that night did you get a phone call from patrick on j in january january 24th 2023 yes um yes we did and what was his demeanor [00:13:12] Lindsay: during that call is this the night of the yes okay yes um it was it was terrible [00:13:23] Speaker 2: and did you and your wife um leave your home and and head to to the hospital to be with him yes okay thank you [00:13:35] Lindsay: i'm sure you're ready thank you good afternoon good afternoon [00:13:43] Speaker 1: mr clancy um just a couple of questions you you were you were summoned to be here by the da is that correct correct correct correct and um you you gave statements to whoever wanted statements you were very cooperative with the investigation is that right yes and being as you're the obviously grandfather and father of pat um over the years from the time they were dating engaged married kids you you and your wife were pretty close with both of them were you not yes do you have an opinion as to how lindsay was as a mother that you could see she was very very good she fed them great she did a lot of things with they did like the all-american family and um the district attorney had asked you about thanksgiving of 22 november 16th of 22 and she made reference i think you would respond that she appeared to be quiet and then she used the term did you know about the struggles can you tell me what the struggles were do you know what she meant by that you i knew you go to sidebar sure yeah [00:15:19] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [00:18:49] Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Yes. And did Lindsay confide to your knowledge, yes or no, to your wife about some of her issues as a result of which your wife referred her to a person to speak to? [00:20:04] Lindsay: Yes. [00:20:04] Speaker 1: Do you know who, do you know, do you know who that person was, would you know who that person was? Do you know who that person was? Okay. Would that be the South Shore Perinatal, I think is what it's called? Yes. Okay. And understanding that you're the father-in-law, would you agree that the two of you, you and Lindsay, had a pretty good relationship? Yes, very good. And you told us about November 16th and then Thanksgiving of the year, and then thanksgiving of 22 and then up until Christmas and then up until Christmas and then after Christmas and the time frame actually right up to January 24th. You guys were supposed to get together that night, right? [00:20:40] Lindsay: Correct. Well, no, we weren't. We were asked to come to dinner that night. But you had other plans. We had other plans. Okay. [00:20:53] Speaker 1: District Attorney asked you about, on a number of occasions, about the time at your home. I think it was on Thanksgiving when Dawson was acting a little rambunctious or silly, and that she guided him to his seat. Was she, to your opinion of what you could observe, did you believe that she was being abusive to him at all? [00:21:13] Lindsay: No. [00:21:18] Speaker 1: And you know her mother and father as well, correct? And the four of you, the in-laws from both sides, you and your wife, Sue, and Lindsay's mother and father, both were all kind of pulling together to try to help this young couple out during that time frame, right? Yes. And your son, Patrick, he was very concerned about his wife, was he not? He was. And he confided in you on a number of occasions? Yes. I'm sorry, sir. Thank you. Come off. [00:21:54] Speaker ?: Nothing further. [00:21:54] Speaker 1: All right. Thank you, sir. Let me sit down. Thank you. Come on. Can I see you over here just skidding? Come on. [00:22:06] Speaker ?: Can I see you over here just skidding? Come on. Can I see you over here just skidding?