Judge Approves Request to Keep 911 Call, Autopsy Photos Private in Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial

Duxbury, Mass. — A Plymouth Superior Court judge has approved a request from Patrick Clancy to keep sensitive evidence, including his 911 call and autopsy photographs of the couple’s three children, from being publicly released during the upcoming murder trial of his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy.

Judge William Sullivan ruled Friday that while the evidence will be presented to the jury as part of the trial, members of the media will not be permitted to record, display, reproduce, distribute, or otherwise disseminate the 911 recording or the autopsy photographs. The court determined that releasing the material publicly would create a substantial likelihood of emotional harm to Patrick Clancy and further impact the family’s privacy.

The ruling comes just days before opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday in one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched criminal trials. Jury selection concluded this week with a panel of 18 jurors, including alternates, chosen after an extensive selection process.

Patrick Clancy is expected to be among the first witnesses called to testify. He was the person who discovered the children after returning to the family’s Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023, and placed the frantic 911 call that has become a central piece of evidence in the case. Prosecutors are expected to use the recording and other evidence to help establish the timeline of events.

Lindsay Clancy is charged with the murders of the couple’s three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan. She has pleaded not guilty.

The defense has indicated it will argue that Clancy was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the killings and lacked criminal responsibility for her actions. Prosecutors, meanwhile, are expected to argue that the killings were deliberate and planned.

Although the jury will hear the emotional 911 call and review the autopsy photographs as evidence during the trial, the judge’s order prevents the media from broadcasting or publishing those materials outside the courtroom. Reporters may still describe what is presented during testimony, but they cannot reproduce the protected evidence itself.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks and will feature testimony from numerous witnesses, including medical experts, investigators, and family members. It has drawn widespread public attention since the deaths of the three children in January 2023.

As proceedings begin next week, the court’s ruling seeks to balance public access to a high-profile trial with protecting the privacy and dignity of the victims and their surviving family members.

CBS Boston first reported the judge’s decision Friday following the hearing in Plymouth Superior Court.

let us know and comments if you agree with the judge’s decision