Three and a half years passed between the deaths of the Clancy children and opening statements. The delay was the product of Lindsay Clancy's own medical condition, a series of contested pretrial motions, and two continuances.
As far as I can tell, the Associated Press did not stream the pretrial proceedings. The recordings below come from other outlets and are included because they are the only video record of these hearings.
Clancy was arraigned from a hospital bed at Tewksbury State Hospital, appearing by video. She pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.
Prosecution and defense arguments.
Video from CBS Boston.
Full arraignment.
Video from courtCHOPT.
After the grand jury returned indictments on September 15, 2023, Clancy was arraigned in Superior Court that October. Like the district court arraignment eight months earlier, it did not take place in a courtroom. The District Attorney's news release states that she was "arraigned in Tewksbury State Hospital," where she was being held without bail.
Three pretrial fights shaped the trial that followed.
The bifurcation motion. The defense asked the court to split the trial in two, so that the jury would first decide what happened and only afterward take up criminal responsibility. Judges sometimes allow this where the mental health evidence is voluminous enough to overwhelm the factual questions. The court denied the request on March 31, 2026, meaning the jury heard everything at once.
The New Yorker recordings. Prosecutors sought the magazine's recordings of its interviews with Patrick Clancy. The New Yorker resisted on First Amendment grounds. The dispute delayed the trial.
The psychiatric records. Prosecutors also sought Clancy's medical records, argued together with the reporter's notes question.
None of the filings or rulings in these three disputes are publicly posted. See Documents.