Lindsay Clancy could face a complex and uncertain future if a jury determines she is not criminally responsible for the tragic strangulation of her three children. Her potential commitment to a mental institution would be subject to yearly reviews, a process that introduces significant unpredictability regarding the duration of her hospitalization, according to insights from a retired judge.
Clancy is unlikely to receive a “life sentence in a public mental hospital,” as noted by Carol Erskine, a former Massachusetts judge and advocate for child welfare. In a post on X, she elaborated, “While Clancy could potentially remain in a hospital setting for many years, or even indefinitely, this would only continue as long as she meets the legal requirements for civil commitment.”
Erskine stressed that the trial judge plays a pivotal role in this process, a point she later conveyed to News Media.
Lindsay Clancy, facing charges for the 2023 Duxbury murders of her three children, made an appearance at Plymouth Superior Court on Friday, February 20, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“The judge’s order is the initial step in this process,” Erskine detailed. “Should the judge issue such an order, it would mandate a 40-day evaluation within a secured facility.”
After that, there would be an evaluation and hearing on whether she should be committed for further.
“If the recommendation is for a civil commitment because there’s likelihood of serious harm under the statute, then there would be a commitment for a period of six months,” she said. “And that would, again, be in a locked unit.”
Callan, left, Dawson and Cora Clancy. The three children were killed at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023. (Lindsay Marie Clancy/Facebook)
Beyond that, Clancy would be up for review every year to determine whether there is still a likelihood of serious harm and if she should still be be committed to a mental institution, she said.
“It’s really impossible to say how long she would be committed if she’s committed because it all depends on if she is initially committed [and] these yearly evaluations,” Erskine said.
Patrick Clancy took the stand as the first witness in the trial. Patrick and Lindsay Clancy were married at the time their three children were killed but have since divorced. (Pool)
After the evaluation, the facility’s superintendent could recommend discharge. If there is a petition to discharge, the district attorney’s office and Clancy’s defense attorney can be heard in court.
Lindsay Clancy reacts as doctors testify about efforts to save her children Friday, July 31, 2026. (Josh Reynolds for Daily Mail /Pool)
That’s just one potential outcome as jurors, who began deliberating Thursday, weigh Clancy’s fate.
Clancy is charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was 8 months old. Jurors could find her guilty of first- or second-degree murder, manslaughter, or not criminally responsible via the insanity defense.
Exterior view of the home of Patrick and Lindsay Clancy in Duxbury, MA on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. (David McGlynn for News Media)
Investigators have said that after strangling them with exercise bands, she attempted to kill herself by cutting herself and jumping out a second-floor window. The resulting injuries have left her paralyzed.
But her limited mobility is likely not going to be a factor when she is evaluated for her potential for harm in the future, Erskine said.
“I don’t think it would play a huge role in how they evaluate whether she has a mental illness that creates a likelihood of serious harm because we’re talking about serious harm to herself as well,” she explained.