Patrick Clancy has opted to remain hundreds of miles from the Massachusetts courthouse where jurors are weighing the fate of his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy.
The jury, made up of nine women and three men, was dismissed Tuesday after a fourth day of deliberations ended without a verdict. The panel is expected to return Wednesday morning to continue its discussions.
Earlier in the day, jurors sent a note to the judge indicating they had not been able to reach a unanimous decision.
As concerns grew over the possibility of a mistrial, Patrick remained in New York City, where he lives in an apartment with his new wife, fertility specialist Rachel Danis.
The 38-year-old father, still grieving, has been seen in Manhattan on multiple occasions since Thursday afternoon, when the jury first began considering its verdict.
He has been seen looking tense, making phone calls and grocery shopping as he hunkers down in the city – each time wearing sunglasses and keeping a low profile.
Patrick has been cruelly harassed throughout the trial after online conspiracy theories falsely claimed that he was somehow involved in the deaths of his children, despite evidence showing he was not at the family home when they were killed.
The Daily Mail has spoken to relatives of Patrick, as well as criminologist Dr Casey Jordan, who together paint a picture of a man determined to shield himself from a firestorm.
Patrick Clancy runs to take a call in NYC – where he has remained as jury deliberations in Massachusetts continue
Patrick shares an apartment with his new wife, fertility expert Rachel Danis, in Manhattan
Jordan, a professor at Western Connecticut State University, said Patrick has doubtless stayed away from the Plymouth courtroom out of a need for privacy and self-protection.
‘He’s in a bunker,’ Jordan told the Daily Mail.
‘He is fully aware of the vitriol against him, and everyone who wants to hold him responsible for the acts of his wife.’
Jordan praised Patrick for rebuilding his life in the aftermath of the tragedy and described his online critics in blunt terms: ‘Vultures picking his shattered bones.’
She said people have a deep need to hold someone accountable for such a horrific loss, and that widespread sympathy for Lindsay, 36, has seen many strangers direct their anger toward Patrick instead.
‘We can’t shake our fist at God, so Patrick is next in line,’ she said.
She added: ‘We shouldn’t punish husbands for the sins of their wives.’
Patrick has not appeared at the trial since he testified at the end of July.
On Friday, many wondered whether he would attend the final stage of the trial to get a sense of closure.
Patrick divorced Lindsay, relocated to New York City in May 2023, and sold the family’s Duxbury home in May 2024
Rwlatives say the grieving father and his family have struggled with the negative attention
But the prospect of walking back into the Plymouth courthouse may hardly have been an appealing one.
Outside the courthouse, crowds of women have gathered to support Lindsay, some openly condemning Patrick and repeating baseless claims.
Lindsay has already admitted to strangling all three of their children with fitness bands in January 2023.
But she insists she is not guilty of murder because she was in the grip of severe postpartum psychosis during the killings and could not comprehend what she was doing.
Jurors at Plymouth Superior Court have been asked to decide whether Lindsay deliberately murdered five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan inside their Duxbury family home.
They can find her guilty of murder, convict her of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, or find her not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
Since Lindsay killed their children, she has been held at Tewksbury Hospital, where she has remained since May 2023.
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He is suing the healthcare providers who treated Lindsay in the months before the killings, alleging their failures contributed to the tragedy
Couple Patrick Clancy and Rachel Danis have shared passions for charitable causes
Patrick found new love in Dr Rachel Danis, whom he married earlier this year
In that time, Patrick has been rebuilding and turning to a new chapter of his life.
He divorced Lindsay, relocated to New York City in May 2023, and sold the family’s Duxbury home in May 2024.
Throughout it all, he has continued to publicly defend his ex-wife against critics who brand her a monster, insisting she was driven to violence by a devastating mental health collapse rather than calculated cruelty.
He has not visited her in hospital since the killings.
Photos of Patrick with Rachel Danis, 37, first surfaced online the following February, and she eventually moved into his Midtown apartment.
By late last year, she was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring, and the couple married this past April in a small, intimate ceremony in Central Park.
Both he and Rachel have reportedly received death threats, with their personal details posted publicly as part of a sustained harassment campaign.
Lindsay Clancy supporters created a sea of pink outside Plymouth Superior Court last month
One member of the Clancy family, speaking to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity, said it has been a hard time for the family.
‘Obviously, this is a very hard time for everybody in the family,’ the relative said.
Another relative said the ordeal has taken a heavy toll on Patrick as he tries to push forward with his life, adding that he has been seen viewing apartments in his area.
‘I think he is doing okay under the circumstances,’ the relative said. ‘It’s very stressful for the whole family.’
In Plymouth, Judge William Sullivan ordered the jury to continue deliberating after they told him Tuesday morning that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
‘I know that this was a long trial,’ he said. ‘I know there were over 80 witnesses, over 300 exhibits. But because of that, I’m going to ask you to go back out, keeping in mind all the instructions that I gave you, to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time.’
Lindsay, dressed in a beige sweater, showed no visible emotion as the judge spoke, with her parents and sister seated nearby in the courtroom.
She faces three counts of first-degree murder, a charge that carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jurors also have the option of convicting her of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, which carries a far shorter sentence, or finding her not guilty by reason of lacking criminal responsibility, a verdict that would likely send her back into psychiatric commitment.
Should the jury remain deadlocked, the judge retains the power to declare a mistrial.
Patrick grew emotional as he took the stand to testify in his ex-wife’s trial last month
The outcome of Lindsay’s murder trial could also affect something else Patrick holds dear – his fight for justice for his three dead children.
The Microsoft salesman is suing the healthcare providers who treated Lindsay in the months before the killings, arguing that their alleged failures contributed to the deaths of his children. The providers have denied the claims.
Legal experts say a guilty verdict would establish, in the eyes of the law, that Lindsay was criminally responsible for the deaths of Cora, Dawson and Callan.
That could significantly complicate Patrick’s $1 million wrongful-death lawsuit against her healthcare providers, potentially making it harder to argue that their actions were a cause of the children’s deaths.
A mistrial could create fresh complications for Patrick, including the possibility that he may have to testify again if Lindsay faces a retrial.