Prosecution Wins Expert Witness Battle as Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial Begins

Plymouth County, Mass. — Jury selection is underway in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after prosecutors won a key pretrial dispute over expert witnesses, limiting portions of the defense’s proposed testimony before opening statements begin.

Just before jury selection started Monday in Plymouth Superior Court, the judge ruled that several expert witnesses disclosed by the defense would not be allowed to testify because they were identified too late in the legal process. Among those excluded was a witness who previously testified during the Karen Read trial.

Clancy is charged with the January 2023 deaths of her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — at the family’s Duxbury home. She has pleaded not guilty and is expected to argue that she was not criminally responsible because of severe postpartum mental illness at the time of the killings. Prosecutors contend the evidence will show the deaths were intentional.

Attorneys also addressed additional evidentiary issues before the trial officially began. The case is expected to feature extensive testimony from medical experts, mental health professionals, investigators, and family members. Jury selection is expected to take several days, with the trial anticipated to last six to eight weeks.