Patrick Clancy addresses grief after ex-wife’s mistrial

Patrick Clancy, whose three children were killed in Massachusetts in 2023, says he believes he did the best he could with the information he had as he faced scrutiny during the murder trial of his former wife, Lindsay Clancy.

“I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time, and I live with the outcome. I live with it every day, but I think I did the best I could,” Clancy told correspondent Ross Douthat in excerpts released by CBS ahead of a 60 Minutes interview scheduled to air Sunday.

Clancy and his wife, Dr. Rachel Danis, are making their first public comments on the case after Lindsay Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial. The case centered on the deaths of Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023.

Lindsay Clancy’s defense team argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed the children and therefore could not be found criminally responsible for her actions. According to court records cited by CBS, she sought help from multiple providers in the months before the killings, was prescribed a long list of medications and spent several days receiving inpatient psychiatric care.

The Guardian reported that Massachusetts prosecutors are expected to decide later this month whether to retry Lindsay Clancy. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 at Plymouth Superior Court.

The summer trial drew public attention and ended in a mistrial after one juror rejected the defense position. The Guardian reported that the holdout juror, Michael Desronvil, later said he believed physical evidence and key witness testimony showed Lindsay Clancy “knew exactly what she was doing and planned [it].”

Patrick Clancy testified during the prosecution phase of the trial but has supported his former wife. During the case, he was also the subject of online speculation and conspiracy theories. Earlier this month, his attorney, Howard Cooper, threatened legal action over what he called a “relentless, escalating and destructive defamation campaign” against Clancy.

“Enough is enough – this spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop,” Cooper said, according to The Guardian. “Those responsible should understand that there will be consequences, and every appropriate measure will be pursued to hold them accountable, including legally.”

In the CBS excerpts, Patrick Clancy speaks about grief, his memories of his children and the online theories surrounding the case. He said he still talks to his children “all the time” and asks them for help. Asked whether they do help him, he said, “I like to believe they do. It’s a way I stay connected to them.”

The Guardian reported that Clancy discovered the children after finding Lindsay Clancy injured in the snow below a second-floor window. She is now paralyzed from the waist down.

The Clancys repeatedly sought psychiatric and mental health care for Lindsay Clancy in the months before the killings, The Guardian reported. They have since filed a civil lawsuit alleging negligence and over-prescription of medications by two health professionals and healthcare providers.

Danis, 37, an infertility specialist, also appears in the 60 Minutes interview. In excerpts, she discusses meeting Patrick Clancy, their marriage and her response to theories circulating online.

“I don’t understand how the story’s been so twisted, but I would hope people know that Pat is, as I said before, the most selfless father and supportive partner,” Danis told the program.

She said the couple met while jogging, and that Patrick moved to New York and married her earlier this year. “I was just a girl that met a guy running in Central Park on a really cold Saturday, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” she said.