Updated on: August 13, 2026 / 5:30 AM EDT
/ CBS Boston
Lindsay Clancy's murder trial was paused multiple times Wednesday afternoon as she sobbed loudly and said "I can't do it" during testimony about the injuries her children suffered when they were killed.
Jurors were sent out twice for recess as Clancy had emotional reactions to the testimony.
Clancy, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan, in their Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023. She has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham said Clancy planned the murders and faked a suicide attempt.
Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington said Clancy admits to killing her children but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Dr. Renee Stonebridge from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston took the stand Wednesday afternoon. She spoke about the injuries observed on the three Clancy children when the autopsies were performed.
The direct questioning from the prosecution lasted less than 10 minutes, and Reddington did not cross-examine the witness. Clancy could be seen crying during the testimony.
As Sprague began to call the next witness, Judge William Sullivan called for a recess as Clancy was loudly sobbing with her head in her hands. WBZ-TV's Penny Kmitt, who was in the courtroom, said that Clancy's father was crying as well.
After about 15 minutes, all parties came back into the courtroom, including Clancy and the 18 jurors.
Judge Sullivan issued a reminder to the jurors.
"Members of the jury, I just kind of want to revisit an instruction I've given you a few times, I think, during the course of this trial. It's important to understand, remember sometimes as evidence is presented in the trial that creates an emotional reaction, but as jurors who have taken an oath to follow the law, I'm instructing you that the law says you must separate any emotional reaction on your part from the informational value and weight that the evidence produces," Sullivan said. "Your verdict in this case is going to have to be based solely on the evidence and it cannot be based on sympathy, or anger, or passion or prejudice. So you've got to keep that in mind."
Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Olsen then took the stand. After several minutes, Clancy began to cry again and could be heard on the courtroom microphone saying "I can't do it."
Judge Sullivan sent jurors out of the room. Several minutes later, all parties were back in the courtroom and Olsen was on the stand again.
As Olsen continued to testify, Clancy began sobbing again and laid her head on the table.
