To Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz:
Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy deserve justice. Lindsay Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial, not an acquittal, and the charges against her remain pending. We urge your office to continue pursuing criminal accountability for the deaths of all three children and not agree to a hospital-only plea deal that takes prison time off the table.
Postpartum mental illness deserves to be taken seriously. But a diagnosis is not, by itself, immunity from criminal responsibility. The evidence and the legal standard should determine the outcome—not public sympathy for the accused. If Lindsay Clancy is found criminally responsible, we call on prosecutors to seek substantial prison time.
Fathers have received life sentences for killing their children. Chad Doerman pleaded guilty to murdering his three sons and received life without parole. Chris Watts pleaded guilty to killing his two daughters and his pregnant wife and received multiple life sentences without parole. Their cases have different facts and laws, but they show that a plea deal can still carry severe prison punishment.
We ask your office to pursue a fair retrial if legally appropriate, reject any proposed hospital-only deal that substitutes treatment for criminal punishment, and seek a prison sentence if Clancy is convicted. Keep Cora, Dawson, and Callan at the center of this case.