“THEY WOULD NOT BE SAFE”: CHAPLAIN TESTIFIES LINDSAY CLANCY SPOKE OF A VOICE TELLING HER TO KILL HER CHILDREN

One of the most emotional moments in the Lindsay Clancy trial came when a hospital chaplain described conversations she said she had with Clancy following the January 2023 deaths of her three children.

Sheila Cavanaugh, a chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, testified that she met with Clancy more than 200 times during her hospitalization and subsequent rehabilitation.

According to Cavanaugh, Clancy eventually told her about a voice she believed was directing her to kill her children.

“I AM SO GLAD MY CHILDREN ARE SAFE”

Cavanaugh said she first met Clancy shortly after she was hospitalized and initially unable to speak because she was intubated.

During the second week, Cavanaugh recalled Clancy telling her:

“I am so glad my children are safe.”

The chaplain said she responded that the children were safe with God, and the two prayed together.

Cavanaugh later testified that Clancy alluded to hearing a voice telling her to kill her children.

According to the chaplain, Clancy believed that if she did not obey the voice, her children would not be safe.

MORE THAN 200 MEETINGS

Cavanaugh said she continued visiting Clancy as she was transferred between Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Tewksbury Hospital.

Even after Clancy moved to a facility where Cavanaugh did not work, the chaplain said she continued visiting her approximately once a week.

Asked whether Clancy talked about her children, Cavanaugh said she did frequently.

“She loves them deeply. She carries immense grief,” Cavanaugh testified.

PROSECORS CHALLENGE THE ACCOUNT

But the testimony faced an important challenge during cross-examination.

Prosecutors pointed out that Cavanaugh’s detailed written notes from her meetings with Clancy do not specifically document a voice telling Clancy to kill her children.

Cavanaugh acknowledged that some portions of her notes reflected her own impressions of what Clancy might have been thinking or feeling rather than direct quotations.

That distinction could become significant as jurors evaluate the reliability and context of Clancy’s statements about her mental state.

AN UNEXPECTEDLY SHORT COURT DAY

The proceedings also took an unusual turn when Judge William Sullivan told jurors that an unspecified issue involving the attorneys had arisen.

He instructed them not to speculate about the matter or hold it against either side.

The jury was dismissed shortly after Cavanaugh completed her testimony and was told to return Friday morning.

Meanwhile, supporters of Clancy gathered outside the courthouse wearing pink, with many people inside the courtroom also wearing the color.

NOW THE JURY MUST WEIGH THE EVIDENCE

The testimony provides the defense with another account of Clancy’s alleged psychiatric symptoms and the experiences she described after the killings.

But prosecutors have emphasized inconsistencies and gaps in the documentation.

The jury must ultimately decide how much weight to give the competing evidence.

A CHAPLAIN SAYS CLANCY SPOKE OF A VOICE.

PROSECUTORS SAY HER CONTEMPORANEOUS NOTES DO NOT DOCUMENT THAT CLAIM.

THE JURY MUST DECIDE WHAT THE EVIDENCE ACTUALLY SHOWS.

The trial remains ongoing, and testimony about Clancy’s mental state is being considered alongside the broader evidence surrounding the deaths of her three children.