Commonwealth v. Clancy, July 31, 2026
A morning jury view of the Duxbury house, the CVS and the restaurant, then a half sitting of hospital evidence: two custody officers whose cross-examinations built the defense's suicide-attempt record, two emergency physicians the defense did not cross at all, and the toxicology chain of custody.
Key points
- THE DAY'S BEST DEFENSE EVIDENCE CAME OUT OF COMMONWEALTH WITNESSES. Neither custody officer was a defense witness, and between them Reddington's cross-examinations put in front of the jury the full-width neck laceration, the slices across both wrists, blood inside and outside the clothing cut off her, blood below the window and on the sill, ledge and shingles, a bloodied knife on the nightstand, and a middle-of-the-night code that Lippard agreed meant she was dead or dying. On the defense theory that she intended to kill herself, this is the corroboration, and it is in the Commonwealth's own case.
- Maffeo conceded on redirect that nobody at South Shore was treating the cuts to her neck and wrists while he was there. Boston 25 and East Idaho News both record it; NBC10 describes the same point being pressed on cross.
- CAUTION ON THE CODE BLUE. On direct Lippard said only that there was some kind of medical code during the night and that he was not sure what it was. The phrase code blue, the approximate time of 2:24 a.m., the words chaos and bedlam, and the proposition that a code blue meant she was dead or dying were all put to him by Reddington on cross and agreed to. What the code actually was is not established by this testimony.
- Lippard did not recall the defendant being handcuffed to the bed when asked whether she was chained to it.
- LIMITS ON MAFFEO. He was at the house during the State Police search warrant but was not present when the pill bottles were seized and not present when the nightstand drawer was opened. The medication evidence therefore does not run through him.
- Neither doctor was cross-examined, and neither was the laboratory supervisor. Three of the day's five witnesses left the stand unchallenged, consistent with a defense that does not contest the acts or the medical cause of death.
- Arcadipane is the chain-of-custody link for the toxicology the case turns on: a preservation notice on the defendant's blood and urine on January 24, more than six vials of blood and one urine sample, collected by a state trooper with a warrant days later per boston.com. Boston 25 records only that she handed the samples to the State Police and does not date the collection.
- Dr. Tenerowicz pronounced Dawson dead at 7:28 p.m., which East Idaho News renders as 19:28. This file previously logged that as a conflict with the case reference, which carries 19:28 as Cora's pronouncement by Dr. Snyder. The reference's own conflict notes now record it as resolved: two children were pronounced at the same hospital minutes apart, Dawson by Tenerowicz at 19:28 and Cora by Snyder at about 19:30. The reference's timeline and decedent fields have not been rewritten to match that note.
- Old bruising on Dawson's legs is reported only by East Idaho News, from Tenerowicz's testimony. No other outlet mentions it and nothing was reported about where it came from.
- HOW THE JURORS WERE SPLIT IS IN DISPUTE. East Idaho News, the Associated Press and Fox News describe three groups of six; the Boston Globe describes a jury of eighteen including six alternates taken through in groups of three. Every account agrees the whole visit ran about forty minutes.
- The view was allowed over the objection of the current owner of the house, resolved at a pretrial hearing (Boston Globe). NBC10 reports Judge Sullivan telling the jurors that what they saw counted as evidence. Boston 25's legal analyst Elyse Hershon explained that counsel could point jurors at a feature but could not tell them what happened there.
- The prosecution's use of the view is the timeline. Retired Superior Court judge Jack Lu told Fox News that a view is routine in a homicide case and that the value here was letting jurors measure the length of the husband's errand. CBS Boston's analyst Jennifer Roman framed it as letting jurors count the stairs between the basement and the second floor.
- Reddington told WBZ-TV's Kristina Rex that the Commonwealth ran out of witnesses again on Friday and that he expects its case to finish earlier than scheduled. Judge Sullivan told the jury the trial was well on schedule if not ahead. This is counsel and the bench on pace, not a ruling.
- SCHEDULING IS RECORDED TWO WAYS. Boston 25, boston.com and East Idaho News all have the jury back Monday at 9 a.m.; East Idaho News additionally records the judge saying he expected a late start on Monday with a full day of testimony. No outlet explains the two together.
- NAME AND RANK. Reported as Marcanthony Maffeo by the Boston Globe, Boston 25, CBS Boston and boston.com, and as Mark Anthony Maffeo by East Idaho News, which matches the case reference. boston.com resolves the title: a detective on January 24, 2023, a sergeant by the time he testified.
- East Idaho News numbers these witnesses fourteen through eighteen for the Commonwealth. This file's ordinal counts sitting days, not witnesses, and the two are not related.
- No exhibit number was reported for any photograph, any item of clothing, or the medical records.
Witnesses (5)
Marcanthony MaffeoCommonwealth11:42
Duxbury Police Department. A detective on January 24, 2023 and a patrol sergeant by the time of trial, per boston.com. Sent to South Shore Hospital that night to meet the defendant, then back to the house for the search warrant. East Idaho News counts him the Commonwealth's fourteenth witness and renders his first name Mark Anthony.
Direct: Shanan Buckingham, so far as reported. boston.com attributes to her the photographs of the defendant's cuts put to him. No outlet names a prosecutor for any other part of the examination. Cross: Reddington, and the longest examination of the day.
- Went first to the Duxbury house on the night of January 24, 2023 and was then sent to South Shore Hospital to meet the defendant. Boston Globe, East Idaho News.
- Found her sedated and unconscious with several lacerations to her arms and neck. She was unresponsive and he did not speak to her that night. Boston Globe, boston.com, Boston 25, East Idaho News.
- The Commonwealth put photographs of the neck and wrist wounds to him. Boston 25's account of the images has the neck cut running the full width and slices across the wrists. boston.com attributes the photographs to prosecutor Shanan Buckingham.
- Hospital staff had cut her clothing off her. He took custody of items from them, which East Idaho News lists as a shirt, pants, a scarf and wedding bands, and turned them over to a state trooper.
- She was in custody at the hospital under officer guard and he did not question her.
- He returned to Summer Street and was present while the Massachusetts State Police executed a search warrant there. boston.com, East Idaho News.
- The Boston Globe's account of his description of the blood at the house: in the back yard directly beneath the rear window, on the second-floor windowsill and window ledge, on two shingles below the ledge, along the edge of the bed, on furniture, and up the bedroom wall.
- CROSS. Reddington opened by asking him to identify photographs. The Commonwealth objected and counsel went to sidebar. East Idaho News. See rulings.
- CROSS. He agreed she was unconscious at the hospital.
- CROSS. Reddington put the photographs of the wrist and neck cuts back to him and he confirmed them, then showed the clothing cut off her with blood on the inside and the outside, including a bra she had been wearing. East Idaho News.
- CROSS. Blood on the ground where she was found, on the windowsill and on the shingles. He confirmed each.
- CROSS. The bedroom was cold, with blood on the floor and on top of the nightstand. A close-up photograph showed a knife on the nightstand with blood on it; a wider photograph showed blood at the end of the bed and by the window. East Idaho News, Boston 25 at 11:59, CBS Boston.
- CROSS. HE WAS NOT PRESENT FOR THE PARTS THAT MATTER TO THE MEDICATION CASE. He was at the house for the search but not there when the pill bottles were seized, and not there when the nightstand drawer was opened. East Idaho News.
- CROSS. A laptop was seized from a hallway closet and turned over to the State Police. East Idaho News.
- REDIRECT. Asked whether anyone was treating the cuts to her neck and wrists, he said no. Boston 25 at 12:06, East Idaho News.
- RECROSS. More than ten Duxbury officers were at the house, along with state troopers. East Idaho News.
- boston.com does not report the cross-examination at all. Its account of him stops at the search warrant.
Richard LippardCommonwealth12:08
Patrol officer, Duxbury Police Department. Recalled after his shift had ended and sent to the South Shore emergency department to watch a person in custody, then flew with her to Brigham and Women's. East Idaho News counts him the Commonwealth's fifteenth witness.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: Reddington.
- Called back in after his shift had ended and assigned to overwatch a person in custody at the South Shore emergency department. Boston 25, East Idaho News.
- She was sedated and did not speak. Boston 25's account of his words: she seemed sedated, not speaking, lying on the hospital bed. She stayed within the emergency room area.
- Doctors decided to move her by MedFlight to Brigham and Women's in Boston. He flew with her and stayed there. He put the total at fifteen to sixteen hours; Boston 25's entry gives sixteen. boston.com, East Idaho News, Boston 25 at 12:15.
- She did not speak at South Shore, on the flight, or in the Brigham emergency room. Boston 25 at 12:15.
- Two officers watched her at the Brigham, and no visitors were allowed. He was relieved the next morning at about ten by two other Duxbury officers. East Idaho News, CBS Boston.
- He did not remember State Police or hospital security in the room. He stood in the hall keeping unauthorized people away from her. Boston 25 at 12:16.
- ON DIRECT HE PUT IT NO HIGHER THAN THIS: there was some kind of medical code during the night and he was not sure what it was. boston.com, Boston 25 at 12:13.
- CROSS. Reddington supplied the rest. He put the code at about 2:24 a.m. and asked whether the room was chaos and bedlam; Lippard agreed it was very busy and that the code made it worse, that people came running from everywhere, and that the room was called out overhead. East Idaho News, boston.com.
- CROSS. Asked whether a code blue meant she was dead or dying, Lippard said yes. The characterization is counsel's and the witness agreed with it. boston.com, East Idaho News.
- CROSS. Asked whether she was chained to the hospital bed, he said he did not recall her being handcuffed. boston.com, East Idaho News.
- CROSS. She was unconscious throughout his watch and did not talk during the helicopter ride.
Mark TenerowiczCommonwealth12:20
Emergency physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth on January 24, 2023, described by boston.com as a former emergency physician there. Treated Dawson. East Idaho News counts him the Commonwealth's sixteenth witness.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None. East Idaho News records no cross-examination.
- He was told the boy had reportedly been strangled and had been found without a pulse and not breathing. boston.com, NBC10.
- Dawson arrived with a breathing tube already in place and CPR under way, not breathing, without a pulse and not responding. Boston Globe, Boston 25 at 12:20.
- Ruptured blood vessels were visible on his face. Boston Globe.
- Old bruising on his legs. East Idaho News only.
- Doses of adrenaline and calcium were given. Boston Globe. East Idaho News adds an ultrasound examination that showed no heartbeat.
- He never breathed on his own and his heart never restarted. The doctor's assessment as CBS Boston and NBC10 record it was that it did not look as though the heart would ever start again.
- About forty minutes of resuscitation at the hospital, on top of what the paramedics had already done.
- Pronounced dead at 7:28 p.m. East Idaho News renders the time 19:28.
- The defendant wept during this testimony. The Boston Globe has her burying her face in her hands, CBS Boston has her shoulders shaking, boston.com has her covering her face and appearing to sob and shake.
Benjamin KaufmanCommonwealth12:27
Emergency physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth. Treated eight-month-old Callan. East Idaho News counts him the Commonwealth's seventeenth witness.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None. East Idaho News records no cross-examination.
- Callan arrived with his heart stopped and not breathing, with CPR under way and air being given by bag and mask. Boston Globe, boston.com, NBC10.
- Staff placed a breathing tube and established an IV line.
- A dose of epinephrine was given, and an ultrasound showed the heart was not beating. Boston Globe. NBC10's account of his testimony ties the restart to the epinephrine.
- After about ten minutes of compressions, breaths through the tube and medication, the heart started again. Boston Globe, Boston 25 at 12:30, East Idaho News.
- He never regained the ability to breathe on his own.
- AT NO POINT DID HE SHOW ANY BRAIN FUNCTION, and he scored the lowest possible rating on the Glasgow Coma Scale. Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News.
- The team coordinated with Boston Children's Hospital while continuing resuscitation, and he was flown there by helicopter. CBS Boston's account adds that he died at Boston Children's; the date of that death was not part of this day's testimony as reported.
- East Idaho News records the defendant crying softly during this testimony, her shoulders and body trembling.
Melissa ArcadipaneCommonwealth12:32
Specimen processing supervisor in the laboratory at South Shore Hospital in January 2023, described by boston.com as a former supervisor and by Boston 25 as a laboratory technical supervisor. East Idaho News counts her the Commonwealth's eighteenth witness.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: None. East Idaho News records no cross-examination.
- Explained how the laboratory handles a preservation request from law enforcement. East Idaho News.
- A preservation notice was placed on the defendant's blood and urine on January 24, 2023. boston.com, East Idaho News.
- More than six vials of blood and one urine sample. East Idaho News.
- A state trooper came with a warrant and collected the specimens days later. boston.com. Boston 25 records only that she handed the blood and urine to the Massachusetts State Police and does not date the collection.
Exhibits and evidence
- Close-up photographs of the defendant's neck and wrist wounds at South Shore Hospital, put in by the Commonwealth through Maffeo. Boston 25 at 11:43 and 11:50.
- A full-body photograph of the defendant at South Shore Hospital, offered by the defense. Boston 25 records the attempt at 11:50 and, after a sidebar, a photograph admitted at 11:52; the blog does not say in terms which photograph the ruling covered.
- Enlarged photographs of the defendant's wounds shown by the defense on cross, matching the Commonwealth's images. Boston 25 at 11:52.
- Photographs of the clothing cut off her, with blood on the inside and the outside, including a bra. East Idaho News.
- Photographs of blood on the ground where she was found, on the second-floor windowsill and ledge, and on two shingles beneath the ledge.
- Enlarged photographs of the bedroom: blood on the floor, at the end of the bed, on furniture and up the wall, and a close-up of a knife with blood on it on the nightstand. Boston 25 at 11:59, East Idaho News.
- Medical records from South Shore Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth for all three children, entered by the Commonwealth at about 12:38. Boston 25.
- Items collected from hospital staff and passed to a state trooper: a shirt, pants, a scarf and wedding bands. East Idaho News. Not reported as separately marked.
- A laptop seized from a hallway closet at the house and turned over to the Massachusetts State Police, described on Maffeo's cross. East Idaho News. Not reported as marked on this day.
- NO EXHIBIT NUMBER WAS REPORTED for anything shown or entered on this day.
Rulings and objections
- -THE VIEW ITSELF WAS A CONTESTED RULING, MADE BEFORE THIS DAY. The Boston Globe reports that Judge Sullivan approved the view of the scene during pretrial proceedings over the objection of the current owner of the house. ARGUED: no ground for the owner's objection and no reasons for the ruling are reported. The order's terms are reported by CBS Boston and the Boston Globe: exterior, basement and every room on the first and second floors; no opening closet doors and no touching anything; access limited to counsel, court staff and the jury; the press a hundred yards off.
- 11:49Reddington opened his cross-examination of Maffeo by asking him to identify photographs. The Commonwealth objected and asked for a sidebar. East Idaho News records the objection and the sidebar and does not record how Judge Sullivan ruled. Boston 25's next two entries run alongside it: at 11:50 the defense was trying to introduce a full-body photograph of the defendant at South Shore, and at 11:52, after a sidebar, a photograph was admitted and Reddington went on showing Maffeo enlarged images of the wounds. THE BLOG DOES NOT SAY WHICH PHOTOGRAPH THE RULING COVERED, and no outlet reports the ground of the objection or the reasons given.
- -A SECOND OBJECTION ON THE SAME CROSS-EXAMINATION. While Reddington was putting the enlarged bedroom photographs to Maffeo, the Commonwealth objected again and counsel went to sidebar. East Idaho News does not record how it was ruled. It sits between Boston 25's 11:59 entry on the bedroom photographs and East Idaho News's 12:02 entry on the end of the cross.
Procedural
- 09:15Judge William F. Sullivan explained the view to the jurors: they would be driven past the CVS pharmacy and the ThreeV restaurant and then walk through the house where the children died, with counsel along to point out what to look at. East Idaho News. NBC10 records him telling them that what they were about to see counted as part of the evidence in the case. OUTLETS DISAGREE ON THE GROUPINGS: East Idaho News, the Associated Press and Fox News describe three groups of six, the Boston Globe a jury of eighteen including six alternates taken through in groups of three. Boston 25's legal analyst Elyse Hershon explained that counsel could direct the jurors' attention to a place but could not tell them what happened there.
- 09:20The terms of the view as East Idaho News records them: no touching anything, no opening closet doors. The judge, the prosecutors and defense counsel attended. The defendant was permitted to go and did not; the Associated Press notes she has not seen the house since the day of the killings. Police closed the roads to the property and the press was held a hundred yards back. CBS Boston adds, from the court order, that the jurors could inspect the exterior, the basement and every room on the first and second floors. The Boston Globe adds that access was limited to counsel on both sides, court staff and the jury. The Associated Press notes the house now has a different owner.
- 09:50The first group of jurors reached the Summer Street house and came off the bus. East Idaho News.
- 09:58A group of jurors was inside the house. East Idaho News.
- 10:40All the jurors had finished at the house and were on the way back to Plymouth. The Associated Press and Fox News put the whole visit at about forty minutes; the Boston Globe puts about forty minutes inside the house. Jurors also saw the basement where the children were found and the yard beneath the second-floor window.
- 11:36The jury was back in the courtroom and the sitting resumed. East Idaho News; Boston 25 opens its play-by-play at 11:42.
- 12:18Maffeo and Lippard were both done. Boston 25 records a sidebar before Dr. Tenerowicz was called; what was argued is not reported.
- 12:38The Commonwealth entered the hospital records for Cora, Dawson and Callan from South Shore Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth. Boston 25.
- 12:39Judge Sullivan released the jury for the weekend with the usual warning about publicity, and told them to return Monday at 9 a.m. East Idaho News, which also records him saying he expected a late start on Monday and that testimony would run the full day. Boston 25 puts the dismissal shortly before 12:45 and records him saying he had matters to take up with both sides. boston.com records him saying the trial was well on schedule if not ahead. Nothing is reported about what was taken up after the jury left.