Paula Musgrove took the stand on Monday in Plymouth Superior Court to defend her daughter Lindsay Clancy, who is on trial for the January 2023 murder of her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
The testimony comes as an online fundraiser for Clancy's parents has raised more than $830,000 from thousands of donors toward a $2 million target, intended to replenish savings spent supporting their daughter over the past three and a half years.
Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse who specializes in caring for mothers and newborns, is accused of strangling her five-year-old daughter Cora, three-year-old son Dawson, and eight-month-old son Callan with exercise bands on January 24, 2023, before cutting her neck and wrists and jumping from a second-story window. She survived the fall but severed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
Michael and Paula Musgrove have attended every court hearing and relocated from Wallingford, Connecticut, to Massachusetts, living out of hotels to remain near their daughter throughout her recovery and criminal trial.
Fundraising and Strangers in Court
The Musgrove Family Fund features a sketch depicting a woman hunched over in a wheelchair with her head in her hands while a crowd of women forms a protective circle around her. Organizers created the appeal to assist her parents after years of financial strain.
Inside Plymouth Superior Court, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, roughly 30 to 40 members of the public, the overwhelming majority women, have arrived each day to support Clancy. Many spectators said weeks of evidence detailing her psychiatric treatment and worsening mental state reinforced their belief that she was failed by the healthcare system.
Before taking the stand, the Musgroves remained intensely private, avoiding interviews and being shielded from public scrutiny by protective neighbors in Connecticut. On the rare occasions they spoke, they offered warm remarks about their daughter.
"She's a loving mother, she always will be," Paula said after a court hearing earlier this year. Her husband Michael added: "We love our daughter very much and we're here to support her in any way we can."
Parents Break Silence on Mother's Mental Health
On Monday, Paula broke her family's long public silence when she took the witness stand for the defense, describing how her daughter's condition deteriorated in the months leading up to the killings.
"I loved my grandchildren with all my heart," Paula testified, her voice cracking as Clancy sobbed quietly with her head in her hands. "And you'll never know what it's like to love your grandchildren until you become a grandmother. And it is the most beautiful thing."
As her mother spoke, an emotional Clancy breathed heavily and visibly trembled in her wheelchair.
Paula testified that she first noticed a pronounced change in her daughter during the second week of October 2022, when Clancy grew intensely anxious about returning to work as a labor and delivery nurse.
On October 20, 2022, Clancy sent a desperate text message to her mother: "Mom, will you please come up and stay with me for a bit. I'm really sick. Something is wrong. I had horrible insomnia last night and I don't know how I'm going to get through the day. I started taking the medicine my doctor prescribed for anxiety and I think it's made things worse. It's just really scary, and I don't want to be alone."
Disturbing Warnings Before the Tragedy
Paula traveled to Duxbury that same day, but testified that Clancy's condition did not improve through November and December despite seeing doctors and taking prescribed medication. Clancy lost weight, became paranoid, and repeatedly told her mother: "This isn't me. I've never been like this before."
Clancy also complained that medication was "destroying her mind" and said she wanted to feel better so she could enjoy her children again. At one point, Paula said, Clancy became so afraid of being alone that she asked to sleep beside her mother.
Paula stayed with the family for much of December 2022. During that month, Clancy made a disturbing disclosure while standing in the kitchen with her mother and her husband, Patrick Clancy.
Paula testified that her daughter appeared nervous and told them, "I have to tell you guys something," before disclosing that she was having thoughts of harming her children. The court broke for lunch on that disclosure.
Paula and Michael visited the family again over the weekend before the children died, leaving on January 22, 2023. Afterward, Paula messaged Clancy to say how good it had been to see her seeming more like herself. Two days later, Cora, Dawson, and Callan were dead.
Family Background in Wallingford
Away from the legal proceedings, the Musgroves have lived for decades in Wallingford, Connecticut, in the same three-bedroom home they bought for $480,000 in 1996. They raised Lindsay and her sister Allison there.
Michael worked in school portrait photography and sales for Lifetouch, a national school photography company, and served in the Wallingford Girls Softball League. Paula worked for Weight Watchers, a commercial wellness provider, before retiring.
Retired firefighter John Roarke, a longtime neighbor, described the couple to the Record-Journal newspaper as "good, hard-working, regular, middle-class people" who "took good care of their kids." Friends, relatives, and neighbors in Wallingford have largely closed ranks and declined to speak to reporters about the family.
Clancy's sister Allison also testified on Monday, telling the court she observed a marked deterioration in Clancy by late 2022, including weight loss, low energy, and suicidal thoughts. Michael Musgrove is also expected to testify for the defense.
Public Sympathy and Demonstration
Spectators in the courtroom gallery have formed a supportive community, with some calling themselves "Camp Lindsay." Many arrived alone and made friends while waiting in line outside the court.
Spectator Sue Blair said weeks of evidence solidified her belief that Clancy was failed at every level by the healthcare system, adding: "I can't believe that the DA's office brought these charges."
Nancy Hubble, 52, drove four hours from Burlington, Connecticut, to attend. Hubble, whose own daughter has experienced mental health problems, said she hopes the case forces changes in psychiatric medication and women's healthcare, and said she is praying Clancy does not go to prison. "No matter where she ends up, her life is going to be hell," Hubble said.
Lisa Costa, 57, said she was overcome while listening to Patrick Clancy's 911 call, but concluded after following evidence that postpartum illness had overwhelmed the mother. "Nobody wins in this," Costa said. "Nobody won."
Supporters have organized a gathering outside Plymouth County Superior Court for Thursday, calling on people to wear pink and stand together in silence. A flyer reads: "We will gather. We will join hands. We will be silent. Our silence is our support." The flyer instructs participants that there should be no protesting, rallying, signs, or shouting.
Prosecution Arguments and Evidence
Prosecutors argue that Clancy was aware of her actions and acted deliberately when she killed her children. Jurors have heard that none of the psychiatric providers who treated her before the killings diagnosed her with psychosis.
The prosecution pointed out that on the night of the murders, Clancy intentionally sent Patrick out to pick up medication and dinner, leaving her alone with the children. Jurors were shown crime scene photos, children's autopsy photos, and surveillance footage from a January 8, 2023 family outing to a science museum.
Prosecutors also introduced evidence showing that days before the killings, Clancy searched online for terms including "hallucinations," "psychosis," "schizophrenia," and "can you treat a sociopath," arguing the searches show awareness and intent. Defense attorneys argue the searches show a frightened woman seeking help for a failing mind.
The trial in Plymouth Superior Court is expected to last another two to four weeks.
