Lindsay Clancy’s Father-In-Law Takes the Stand — Full Testimony — MA v. Lindsay Clancy

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Is Patrick Clancy your son? Yes. When did you first meet Lindsay Clancy? I don't know what the year was, but I believe I met her for the first time at my, at the cottage in Hull. That was my parents' house. And I believe that's when I met her. I think he brought it on there. [00:00:23] Speaker 2: Was that before or after 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 timeframe 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? She was very mothering. And was she protective? I would say yes, like any mother would be. Do you recall describing her previously as very protective of him? I would say that she was very protective of him. Would she, in terms of how protective she was of Callan versus Dawson and Cora, was she more, less, or the same? [00:01:22] Speaker 1: I would say she was more of the same when the babies were little, you know, when the babies were young. [00:01:28] Speaker 2: So is that something typical when she would have one of the children, she'd be very protective when they were first born? [00:01:33] Speaker 1: Yes. I think that's like any other mother though. [00:01:36] Speaker 2: And, um, how often would you, um, see the family? [00:01:42] Speaker 1: Uh, we saw them regularly. They lived not too far from us. They lived in Weymouth first and we saw them regularly. [00:01:49] Speaker 2: And then eventually they moved to Duxbury? [00:01:52] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:01:53] Speaker 2: And, um, directing your attention to the timeframe between November 16th, 2022 and Thanksgiving of that year, did you see them at your house? [00:02:03] Speaker 1: I think we were, I think they did come up to our house one time once, uh, might've been a Saturday or Sunday. [00:02:11] Speaker 2: Okay. And why did they come over that day? [00:02:14] Speaker 1: I think they just came over to say hi. [00:02:16] Speaker 2: And, um, what was the, um, what was Lindsay's demeanor that day? [00:02:21] Speaker 1: Very good. [00:02:22] Speaker 2: And, uh, was there any difference in her behavior or speech pattern than what you've seen with her previously? [00:02:31] Speaker 1: Not that day. [00:02:33] Speaker 2: And how was that visit? [00:02:35] Speaker 1: Very good. [00:02:36] Speaker 2: Did you then see them, um, at or around Thanksgiving? [00:02:41] Speaker 1: Yes, we did. [00:02:43] Speaker 2: Okay. And where was that? [00:02:44] Speaker 1: That was at my daughter Laura's house in Hamilton. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. In Hamilton. [00:02:50] Speaker 2: Okay. And, um, did you interact with Lindsay that day? [00:02:53] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:02:54] Speaker 2: What was her demeanor that day? [00:02:56] Speaker 1: Uh, she seemed a little, um, how do you say it? Um, let me think for a minute. She seemed quiet. She seemed quiet. [00:03:07] Speaker 2: Okay. And, um, did she seem to interact with everyone there as she normally would? [00:03:13] Speaker 1: Yeah, she was very close with my daughters and, um, her sister-in-law. [00:03:18] Speaker 2: Do you recall them wearing coordinating shirts that day? [00:03:21] Speaker 1: I think so. [00:03:23] Speaker 2: And, um, during dinner that day, did you make observations of Lindsay, um, getting the kids settled down for dinner? [00:03:33] Speaker 1: I did. [00:03:34] Speaker 2: And, um, did you see her, um, interact with Dawson? [00:03:38] Speaker 1: Uh, yes, I did. [00:03:40] Speaker 2: And can you describe that interaction, please? Uh-huh. [00:03:44] Speaker 1: 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, you know, frustrated with him. And I noticed it, so I got up to help her. [00:03:58] Speaker 2: And, um, when you saw her getting frustrated with him, did you see her do something to get him seated? [00:04:05] Speaker 1: She took him by the arm to get him seated. It wasn't anything crazy. [00:04:10] Speaker 2: Right. It's not like she hit him or anything like that? [00:04:12] Speaker 1: No, no. [00:04:13] Speaker 2: Right? She just took his arm and guided him to the seat, is that correct? [00:04:16] Speaker 1: Yeah, correct. [00:04:17] Speaker 2: Um, but you could see that she was frustrated. I could. And so you stepped in to help her, right? [00:04:21] Speaker 1: Correct. [00:04:22] Speaker 2: And what did you do to help? [00:04:23] Speaker 1: I got her a plate, I believe. Um, there were a lot of people. So it was just a little chaotic. [00:04:29] Speaker 2: Now, um, directing your attention to, um, the weekend before Christmas, 2022. Um, did you stop by their home that weekend? [00:04:41] Speaker 1: I believe we did, yeah. [00:04:43] Speaker 2: And, um, who was there? [00:04:45] Speaker 1: Her parents. [00:04:46] Speaker 2: Uh, so it would be Lindsay's parents, Lindsay, Patrick, and the kids? [00:04:50] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:04:51] Speaker 2: And was, uh, were you by yourself or with your wife? [00:04:54] Speaker 1: I was with my wife. [00:04:55] Speaker 2: And, um, was there a specific point for everyone stopping by and gathering that day? [00:05:03] Speaker 1: Uh, I don't remember, I don't recall that. [00:05:08] Speaker 2: Okay, um, were, were you and your wife checking in or helping out that day? [00:05:14] Speaker 1: We might have just been going down to check on things. [00:05:17] Speaker 2: Okay. Did you know that there were some struggles going on at that point? [00:05:21] Speaker 1: I did. [00:05:22] Speaker 2: Um, and did you know that Lindsay was, um, specifically Lindsay was having some struggles at that point? [00:05:27] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:05:30] Speaker 2: Did you stop by again, um, a few nights before Christmas? [00:05:36] Speaker 1: Uh, I thought that's the night you were talking about. Um, I, yes, I guess we did. [00:05:43] Speaker 2: Okay. And, um, when you stopped by the night before Christmas, do you recall who was there that day? [00:05:50] Speaker 1: Uh, I think the same people, but I'm not positive. [00:05:54] Speaker 2: So, Lindsay's parents, Lindsay, Patrick, and the kids? [00:05:57] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:05:58] Speaker 2: And, um, what was, uh, Lindsay's demeanor that day? [00:06:02] Speaker 1: It was okay. It wasn't terrible. [00:06:07] Speaker 2: Do you recall testifying previously and saying that she seemed like she was in good spirits? Yes. Would that be accurate? [00:06:15] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:06:16] Speaker 2: And when you were there at the house that day, did you make plans for the following day for Christmas Day? [00:06:22] Speaker 1: Yes, we made plans to go to Mass. [00:06:24] Speaker 2: And who was going to go to Mass? [00:06:26] Speaker 1: Uh, Lindsay, Patrick, the kids, uh, my wife Sue, and me. [00:06:30] Speaker 2: And did you all, um, well straight that, the following day on Christmas, did you go over to, um, Lindsay's home, uh, before going to Mass? [00:06:42] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:06:43] Speaker 2: Okay. Did you all gather for breakfast? [00:06:46] Speaker 1: I don't recall. [00:06:48] Speaker 2: 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. [00:07:04] Speaker 1: Okay. [00:07:05] Speaker ?: Does that refresh your memory, sir? [00:07:19] Speaker 2: Yes. So did you go over that day for breakfast? Yes. And, um, how was Lindsay's demeanor that day? [00:07:29] Speaker ?: It was good. [00:07:30] Speaker 1: She looked beautiful. She had a beautiful dress on. [00:07:33] Speaker 2: And do you recall saying previously she seemed very happy that day? [00:07:36] Speaker 1: Yes, she did. [00:07:38] Speaker 2: And after breakfast, did, um, did everyone go to church as planned? Yes. And, um, how are the children in church? [00:07:46] Speaker 1: Fantastic. Very well behaved? [00:07:48] Speaker 2: Very well. Um, and then after church, um, did you have a conversation, um, with Lindsay? Um, with Lindsay outside of the church? I think we talked a little bit. [00:07:57] Speaker 1: I don't remember what we said. Um, but we were going our separate ways. [00:08:02] Speaker 2: Do you recall, um, saying previously that Lindsay said she was glad she came and she really loved it? [00:08:08] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:08:09] Speaker 2: Um, what was her demeanor while she was engaging with you after mass? [00:08:14] Speaker 1: She was quiet. She was quiet. She said that she liked the mass and she was really happy that she went. [00:08:21] Speaker 2: 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? [00:08:37] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:08:38] Speaker ?: Um, yes. Did you see the family again after Christmas? Um, I'm not sure. Um, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Okay. Did you go to Cora's birthday party? No. Um, was it more of a, a kids gathering at a trampoline place? That's what I heard. [00:08:49] Speaker 2: Okay. Okay. Yeah. All right. [00:08:53] Speaker ?: Um, did you have plans to see them, um, Tuesday, January 20th? Um, did you see the family again after Christmas? Um, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Okay. [00:08:59] Speaker 1: Did you go to Cora's birthday party? No. Um, was it more of a, a kids gathering at a trampoline place? [00:09:03] Speaker 2: That's what I heard. Okay. Yeah. [00:09:06] Speaker 1: All right. [00:09:07] Speaker 2: Um, did you have plans to see them, um, Tuesday, January 20th? Um, did you see the family again after Christmas? [00:09:11] Speaker 1: Um, I'm not sure. [00:09:13] Speaker 2: Um, I'm not sure. Um, did you go to Cora's birthday party? No. Um, was it more of a, a kids gathering at a trampoline place? 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? [00:09:36] Speaker 1: No, we, we never had plans to go there Tuesday night. They asked us to come to the Tuesday night, but we already had plans with Sue's sister Joan. [00:09:45] Speaker 2: Okay. So they weren't set plans, but you were asked to come to their house that night? [00:09:48] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:09:49] Speaker 2: Okay. Um, and then you couldn't, couldn't go because you had other plans? [00:09:54] Speaker 1: Right. We were going to make it for Friday. [00:09:56] Speaker 2: 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? [00:10:17] Speaker 1: I did mention that to my son. Okay. [00:10:20] Speaker 2: And was, um, was that offer declined? Yes. [00:10:23] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:10:24] Speaker 2: Okay. And, um, going back to, um, Thanksgiving of 2022, when you were interacting with Lindsay, um, I think you, you, you, 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? [00:10:49] Speaker 1: She seemed to at times. [00:10:50] Speaker 2: And can you tell us like what that was? Just like a stare. [00:10:53] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:10:54] Speaker 2: Kind of staring off into the distance, distracted? [00:10:57] Speaker 1: No, just not totally interacting, you know, just sort of. [00:11:01] Speaker 2: Okay. So, so at some points. [00:11:03] Speaker 1: Almost like nervous, kind of like. Nerves. Almost just like, you know, something like that. [00:11:10] Speaker 2: Okay. She was staring a little bit, seemed a little nervous. But then at other times she was interacting with everyone as she normally would? [00:11:17] Speaker 1: Pretty much. Okay. [00:11:20] Speaker 2: 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? [00:11:38] Speaker 1: Yeah, he was a handful. But he was good. He was a good boy. [00:11:42] Speaker 2: 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? [00:11:52] Speaker 1: On January? [00:11:54] Speaker 2: January 24th, 2023. Yes. [00:11:57] Speaker 1: Um, yes, we did. [00:11:59] Speaker 2: And what was his demeanor during that call? [00:12:02] Speaker 1: Is this the night of the... [00:12:05] Speaker 2: Yes. Okay. [00:12:07] Speaker 1: Yes. Um, it was, it was terrible. [00:12:11] Speaker 2: And did you and your wife, um, leave your home and, and head to the hospital to be with [00:12:17] Speaker 1: him? [00:12:18] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:12:19] Speaker 2: Thank you. [00:12:20] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [00:12:23] Speaker 3: Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. [00:12:26] Speaker ?: Mr. Clancy, um, just a couple of questions. You, you were, you were summoned to be here by the DA, is that correct? [00:12:27] Speaker 3: 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, 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? [00:13:07] Speaker 1: She was very, very good. She fed them great. She did a lot of things with them. They did, like, the all-American family. [00:13:16] Speaker 3: And, um, the district attorney had asked you about Thanksgiving of 22, November 16th of 22. Um, and she made reference, I think you would have responded, 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? [00:13:39] Speaker 2: I knew... Go to sidebar. Sure. [00:13:42] Speaker 3: Yeah. [00:13:43] Speaker ?: Thank you, sir. [00:13:44] Speaker 3: I think I was asking you about the word, "the struggles," and can you just tell the jury what the struggle, what was meant by the struggles? [00:13:58] Speaker 1: I knew she was having a hard time sleeping. Um, I knew she just didn't feel well. Um, I know she had gone to the emergency room in my, where my wife was working. Um, those types of struggles. [00:14:13] Speaker 3: And just so, obviously for the record, your wife would be Sue? Yes. And she's a nurse, labor and delivery at South Shore? Yes. Um, and did Lindsay confide to your knowledge, yes or no, um, to your wife about some of her issues as a result of which your wife referred her to a person to speak to? [00:14:36] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:14:37] Speaker 3: Do you know who that person was? [00:14:38] Speaker 1: I don't remember the person's name. [00:14:40] Speaker 3: Okay, would that be the South Shore Perinatal, I think is what it's called? Yes. Okay. Um, and understanding that you're the father-in-law, um, would you agree that the two of you, you and Lindsay, had a pretty good relationship? [00:14:54] Speaker 1: Yes. Very good. [00:14:56] Speaker 3: Um, and you told us about November 16th, and then Thanksgiving of 22, and then up until Christmas, and then after Christmas, and the timeframe, actually right up to January 24th, you guys were supposed to get together that night, right? [00:15:13] Speaker 1: Correct. Well, no, we weren't, we were asked to come to dinner that night. But you had other plans? We had other plans. [00:15:21] Speaker 3: Okay. Um, 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, um, and that she, uh, guided him to, to his seat. Was she, to your opinion on what you could observe, did you believe that she was being abusive to him at all? No. And you know her mother and father as well, correct? Yeah. And, and the four of you, the in-laws from both sides, you and your wife, Sue, and Lindsey's mother and father, both were all kind of pulling together to try to help this young couple out during that timeframe, right? [00:16:06] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:16:07] Speaker 3: And your son, Patrick, um, he was very, uh, concerned about his wife, was he not? He was. And he confided in you on a number of occasions? Yes. I'm sorry, sir. [00:16:21] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:16:22] Speaker 3: Come off. Nothing further. All right. Thank you, sir. Let me sit down. Thank you. Thank you.