Patrick Clancy's attorney calls for end to 'defamation campaign' against him
An attorney for Patrick Clancy, whose ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, is accused of killing the couple's three young children, issued a statement Tuesday calling for an end to conspiracy theories about the case that have spread largely on social media.
"Enough is enough -- this spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop," Howard Cooper, Patrick Clancy's attorney, said in a statement. "Those responsible should understand that there will be consequences, and every appropriate measure will be pursued to hold them accountable, including legally. Law enforcement has been notified."
A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial Friday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after jurors said they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, bringing the nearly six-week trial to an end without a resolution.
Clancy had pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her three young children, whom prosecutors say she strangled in the family's home on Jan. 24, 2023, before attempting to take her own life.
Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings. Prosecutors Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham argue that Clancy is criminally responsible for her children's deaths.
Meanwhile, Cooper said Patrick Clancy and his family have been subjected to a “relentless, escalating and destructive defamation campaign” over the past several months.
“This campaign of misinformation has been launched and promoted by minor celebrities, so-called influencers and outright conspiracy theorists who appear intent on boosting their own social media profiles and potential profit by publishing what they know to be outright falsehoods that Patrick was somehow involved in the death of his young children and other vile claims,” Cooper said in the statement released Tuesday.
Cooper said that the “insatiable media coverage remains at a fever pitch” and that it has resulted in threats to Patrick Clancy’s “reputation, livelihood, and life.”
“Patrick has no choice but to address this situation -- with the clear goal of stopping injurious behavior, creating accountability for lies that are self-serving to the perpetrators, and being able to return his attention to what matters: preserving the memory of Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy and supporting other women facing perinatal mental health challenges,” Cooper said in the statement.
The case has renewed national discussion about postpartum mental illness and, in particular, postpartum psychosis, a rare and severe condition that can cause delusions, hallucinations and significant changes in a person's perception of reality, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Lindsay Clancy garnered a notable contingent of support throughout the trial, particularly from women and mothers. Some have rallied around her on social media, while others traveled to the courthouse in person, many saying the case has raised larger questions about maternal mental health and the care available to women after childbirth.
The debate over Clancy's mental state at the time she killed her three children in January 2023 was central to the trial, with jurors tasked with deciding whether she should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of her children.
“The loss of Patrick’s children is something from which he will never recover and from which there will never be closure. The prospect of reliving this tragedy through another trial is extraordinarily painful -- for Patrick, for his family, and for all us,” David Meier, another attorney for Patrick Clancy, said following the declaration of the mistrial Friday.
