Commonwealth v. Clancy, August 3, 2026
Fourteen Commonwealth witnesses, East Idaho News's numbers 19 through 32: the emergency and intensive care physicians who treated Cora and Callan, the South Shore emergency physician and the crime scene technician who documented the defendant's own injuries, the two Brigham and Women's intensive care nurses and the two psychiatrists who saw her during her admission, the Duxbury sergeant who swept the house, the chain of custody on her blood and urine, the trooper who searched the bedroom, and the trooper through whom both sides read her journals to the jury.
Key points
- THE 19:28 QUESTION IS REOPENED, NOT RESOLVED. Boston 25 records Dr. Snyder declaring Cora dead at 7:28 p.m., which is the same time Dr. Tenerowicz gave on July 31 for Dawson at the same hospital. boston.com's around 7:30 p.m. was the basis on which this file and the case reference previously called the conflict resolved. Two outlets covering the same testimony give different times; the discrepancy is logged in evidence.json and the resolution note in data/case-reference.json has not been rewritten.
- THE SUPERFICIAL CUTS CUT BOTH WAYS. Dr. McDonough gave the Commonwealth its characterization - superficial lacerations, no artery, no immediate care needed, no further bleeding - and gave the defense a core temperature of 82 degrees, a Trauma 1 designation, a patient who never regained consciousness, and a transfer driven by a thoracic spine injury.
- THE COMMONWEALTH'S OWN PSYCHIATRIST GAVE THE DEFENSE ITS PHARMACOLOGY. On cross-examination Dr. Shah agreed that SSRIs should not go to a bipolar patient without another protective medication, that antidepressants carry warnings about increased suicidality in adults as well as adolescents, and that she had been concerned about the quantity of medication the defendant was on. Reported by East Idaho News alone.
- SHE AGREED THE DEFENDANT WAS HONEST. Dr. Shah accepted that the defendant was not exaggerating symptoms for advantage in the case - a concession that cuts directly against a malingering theory, from a Commonwealth witness.
- A PERSON IN PSYCHOSIS CAN STILL PLAN. Dr. Shah's acknowledgment on cross is a defense answer to the Commonwealth's use of organized and goal-directed thinking.
- BOTH PSYCHIATRISTS SAW HER BRIEFLY, AFTER THE FACT, ON PART OF THE RECORD. Dr. Biswas's evaluation was about twenty minutes, two days later, with a limited review of the records and by writing rather than speech; Dr. Shah's was about twenty minutes, five days later, and directed at capacity to change a health care proxy rather than at criminal responsibility. Neither was asked to and neither offered an opinion about January 24.
- PSYCHOSIS IS NOT CONTINUOUS IN EVERY PATIENT. Dr. Biswas testified that presentation depends on the patient and that some people have moments of clarity - the answer that lets the defense reconcile a calm, oriented patient in hospital with psychosis days earlier.
- THE THREAD ABOUT THE LAWYER RUNS BOTH WAYS. Nurse Amedee documented the February 2 request to reach a lawyer because it was the first thing the defendant had said that seemed connected to the case; on cross she had not seen any lawyer consult follow, and Dr. Biswas answered the same point by saying the defendant was exhausted, in pain and about to have surgery.
- THE PROXY AND THE RESUSCITATION ORDER. Through the intensive care nurses the defense established that the defendant moved her health care proxy from her husband to her parents and that her records recorded she did not want to be resuscitated. The Commonwealth's use of the same episode is that she had the capacity to make that decision.
- THE NIGHTSTAND DRAWER, AGAIN. Santos did not search it and assumed someone else had; Melo could not say who searched the bedroom or why the drawer with the medication and the Apple Watch was left. This is the defense's investigative-thoroughness thread, and it also ran through Maffeo's cross-examination on July 31 and Rabbitt's on August 4.
- THE JOURNALS BELONG TO BOTH SIDES. Buckingham read the entries about being overwhelmed and wanting to die; Reddington read the continuations - wanting help, wanting to be well, brain fog, guilt over sleep training, and the affirmations about being calm and sleeping through the night.
- Callan met the criteria for brain death and life support was withdrawn on January 27, 2023, after Patrick Clancy was consulted.
- ICU DELIRIUM IS ON THE RECORD FROM THE COMMONWEALTH'S WITNESSES. Nurse Collins described a patient confused and agitated after extubation and said delirium is common; Dr. Shah's team waited a day before executing the proxy change because the treating team was concerned about delirium.
Witnesses (14)
Michael SnyderCommonwealth09:19
Emergency physician, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 19 and renders the hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: No cross-examination is recorded by any outlet read.
- WHAT THE HOSPITAL WAS TOLD TO EXPECT. The emergency department was expecting three pediatric trauma patients in cardiac arrest, and all three were given advanced life support, with CPR and attempts at defibrillation (Boston 25).
- HOW CORA ARRIVED. Five-year-old Cora was not breathing on her own and had no heartbeat. He described bruising around her neck with bleeding under the skin (Boston 25, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- THE FINDINGS AROUND HER FACE. Petechiae around her face, eyes and neck, and blood around her nose. Her pupils were fixed and enlarged, which he said indicated brain injury (East Idaho News).
- WHAT MATTERS IN A RESUSCITATION. He emphasized the importance of knowing how long a patient has been without a pulse and without breathing, and said epinephrine was given through the bone marrow (East Idaho News).
- THE TREATMENT. He described intubating her and using ultrasound to look directly at the heart (Boston 25).
- THE DECLARATION, AND THE OUTLETS DISAGREE ON THE TIME. Boston 25 records that after about half an hour of treatment Cora was declared dead at 7:28 p.m. on January 24, 2023; boston.com has roughly thirty minutes of CPR and death declared around 7:30 p.m.; East Idaho News's account of his testimony carries no time. 7:28 p.m. is the same time Dr. Mark Tenerowicz gave on July 31 for Dawson's death at the same hospital. Logged as a discrepancy, not resolved.
Andrew CapraroCommonwealth09:32
Attending emergency physician, Boston Children's Hospital. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 20.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None. East Idaho News records no cross-examination.
- HE WAS WAITING FOR THE CHILD. He was prepared to receive eight-month-old Callan in the emergency room after the transfer from Beth Israel Deaconess (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- HOW CALLAN ARRIVED. Cold, limp and unresponsive, with ligature marks and swelling on the neck and pupils fixed and dilated. His heart was beating on its own and he was making some effort to breathe, but he needed a ventilator (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- WHAT THE FIXED PUPILS MEANT. He said fixed and dilated pupils indicated significant brain swelling (East Idaho News).
- THE IMAGING. A head and neck CT was ordered. The head CT showed significant brain swelling from not getting enough oxygen and blood, which he said was consistent with strangulation; Boston 25 records him saying the child appeared to have been strangled by an object (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- He transferred Callan to the intensive care unit (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
David CasavantCommonwealth09:40
Intensive care physician, Boston Children's Hospital. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 21; Boston 25 spells the name Cassavant.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None. East Idaho News records no cross-examination and no defense opposition to the admission of the hospital records.
- THE SCAN. He reviewed Callan's head CT and described an enormous amount of brain swelling and severe brain injury (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- THE EXAMINATION. Callan did not respond to his name being called, to his foot being stroked, or to a pinch, and was unresponsive to anything that caused discomfort or pain. His pupils were fixed (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- BRAIN DEATH TESTING. The team brought in neurology to begin brain death testing even though the child's heart was still beating (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- WHAT WAS LEFT. He explained that the brain stem was still working, which kept the heart beating, but that the part of the brain that made Callan the person he was had stopped functioning (Boston 25).
- THE END OF LIFE SUPPORT. Callan met the criteria for brain death. Life support was ended on January 27, 2023, after the testing and after Patrick Clancy was consulted; the family was given the chance to say goodbye, and the heart stopped when support was withdrawn (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
Kelly McDonoughCommonwealth10:02
Emergency physician, South Shore Hospital. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 22.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Reddington
- WHAT SHE WAS TOLD WAS COMING. A woman who had fallen from a window at height, designated a Trauma 1, found outside the home, unresponsive, with a possible spinal injury (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- HOW THE DEFENDANT PRESENTED. Unresponsive, breathing on her own but intubated to protect the airway; her arms were moving and her legs were not (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE CUTS. Superficial lacerations of the neck and both wrists. Photographs of the injuries were shown to the jury (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- WHY THE CUTS DID NOT DRIVE THE TREATMENT. No artery was involved in the wrist wounds and they required no immediate care; her main concerns were the head and the spinal cord (Boston 25, boston.com).
- THE IMAGING. CT scans were ordered of the head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and blood and urine were drawn. The head CT was unremarkable, a normal study (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- HYPOTHERMIA. Her core temperature was 82 degrees and she was put under a warming blanket. An NBC recap of the day, which could only be reached through search results and not read, gives the figure as 82.1 degrees (East Idaho News).
- WHY SHE WAS MOVED. The thoracic spine injury was identified and the injuries were too severe for South Shore, so she was transferred to a tertiary center. She was at South Shore about four hours, and the neck and wrist wounds never bled again after the initial treatment (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- ON CROSS: SHE NEVER WOKE UP. Asked by Reddington whether the patient regained consciousness, McDonough said no. She was not verbally responsive but was responsive to pain, her eyes were open and her pupils were equal and reactive to light; Reddington asked whether that meant there was no significant neurological injury (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: THE CUTS WERE NOT DEEP, WHICH BOTH SIDES WANTED. Asked whether the wrist cuts were deep, she said she would not characterize them as deep (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: THE SPINE. Reddington pressed on where the damage was and what it meant, including a cervical spine fracture and a complete spinal cord transection at T5/T6, which she did not specifically recall. Boston 25 records her repeatedly answering that she did not recall, without her notes in front of her (boston.com, Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: WHAT SHE DID NOT KNOW. She could not recall details of any cardiac arrest, of blood transfusions, or of police presence (East Idaho News).
Rose StoffersCommonwealth10:36
Sergeant, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 23.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Not clearly reported. East Idaho News's account of her testimony records a redirect and one point about where the medication bag was, but does not identify who asked it.
- WHY SHE WAS AT THE HOSPITAL. She was sent to South Shore Hospital to document the defendant, who was in a neck collar and covered with blankets. The jury was shown a photograph of the trauma room (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- THE ARM. She testified that when she pulled the defendant's right arm out to photograph it, the defendant pulled it back, and that the defendant resisted having her arms uncovered even though the room was hot (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- WHAT SHE PHOTOGRAPHED. With help from hospital staff she photographed the wrist injuries after the gauze was removed and the neck after the collar came off, along with the face, neck and hands, and documented the clothing (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- FEBRUARY 6. She was called to the State Police detective unit office in Plymouth to photograph a bag of medications and documents collected in the case. East Idaho News records the point being made that the bag was at the State Police office rather than at the Clancy home (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- ON REDIRECT: NO CEREBROSPINAL FLUID. East Idaho News alone records her saying that on reviewing the records she did not note cerebrospinal fluid, which would have indicated a head injury (East Idaho News).
Rachelle AmedeeCommonwealth11:25
Intensive care nurse, Brigham and Women's Hospital, overnight shift. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 24; Boston 25 and East Idaho News render the name Rachel Amadee and Rachel Amedee.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Reddington
- HOW SHE WAS NURSED. The defendant was intubated and required one-to-one nursing care, was identified as a suicide risk, and had two officers stationed outside the room (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- THE CODE, AND THE OUTLETS TIME IT DIFFERENTLY. Boston 25 records her saying that at 3:30 a.m., when the defendant arrived at Brigham and Women's, she coded - her blood pressure dropped critically - and that a massive transfusion brought her back. East Idaho News places the code on January 24 into January 25 shortly after she reached the intensive care unit, with chest compressions and a transfusion. The earlier compilation of this day recorded it as early on January 25 (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE WHITEBOARD. Because she was intubated the defendant was given a whiteboard, and she reported confusion and that she could not feel her extremities. boston.com dates the whiteboard communication January 28 and records her reporting that her legs were paralyzed (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- RESTRAINTS. East Idaho News records the defendant placed in restraints on January 28, which the witness described as standard for an intubated patient (East Idaho News).
- AFTER THE TUBE CAME OUT. She was extubated on January 30 and no longer sedated. She showed a flat affect and no emotion either way, but was alert and oriented, and complained about problems sleeping (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- FEBRUARY 2, THE LAWYER. The defendant said she wanted to reach out to her lawyer. Amedee recorded it because it was the first thing the patient had said that appeared connected to the case and to the deaths of her children, and she passed the request to a social worker. Visitors were not permitted at that point, and troopers photographed her (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- She had no further contact after February 3, when the defendant was moved out of the intensive care unit (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: NO LAWYER CAME. She told Reddington she did not see an attorney consult with the defendant after the February 2 request (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: HOW CLOSE IT WAS. The cardiac arrest came shortly after arrival in the intensive care unit; there were chest compressions, chest tubes placed afterward to drain blood, and a transfusion (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: WHAT THE RECORDS SHOWED. East Idaho News alone records the medical records documenting 30 cc of spinal fluid from the nose, and acute anemia from blood loss (East Idaho News).
Meghan CollinsCommonwealth12:06
Intensive care nurse, Brigham and Women's Hospital, trauma surgical unit, day shift. Eleven years in nursing and eight at that hospital. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 25.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Reddington
- THE HANDOVER. She took over from the overnight nurse on January 25 and was told the patient had coded during the night. CT scans were done that morning (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- WHY SHE WAS KEPT SEDATED. Her first shift was about the injuries and about maintaining sedation because the patient was critically ill; she explained that intubated patients who are not sedated typically fight the breathing tube (East Idaho News).
- JANUARY 26. The defendant needed extra sedation because she was fighting the tube, and low-dose propofol was given. That afternoon chest tubes were placed over concerns about her respiratory status (East Idaho News).
- THE LATER SHIFTS. She also treated the defendant on January 29. The extubation on January 30 was not her shift, but she cared for her the following day (East Idaho News).
- ICU DELIRIUM. After extubation the defendant was confused and agitated, picking at her lines and tubes, and needed further sedation. Collins confirmed that delirium is common after extubation. boston.com's account of the day records the delirium diminishing over several days (East Idaho News, boston.com).
- THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE NECK. At about 12:14 the prosecution showed the jury close-up photographs of a cut to the neck and put to her that the neck and wrist cuts did not require constant attention, which she agreed, and that the spinal injuries she was working to stabilize were the worse problem, which she confirmed (Boston 25).
- THE PSYCHIATRIC CONSULTATION. She was present when the psychiatry team evaluated the defendant, and saw a lawyer present at that consultation, the first time she had seen an attorney there (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: THE PROXY AND THE RESUSCITATION ORDER. Reddington drew out that the defendant sought to change her medical proxy from Patrick Clancy to her parents, and that Collins had recorded that she did not want to be resuscitated (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: UNDER ARREST. Reddington showed her a document of January 25 timed 9:03 a.m. indicating the patient was under arrest, and established that police officers were posted outside the room (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS. East Idaho News records the history of postpartum psychosis being raised with her, and a prosecution objection to the reference that sent the lawyers to sidebar (East Idaho News).
- POINTS THAT CAME OUT ON REDIRECT AND RECROSS. East Idaho News records, without making clear which side asked: that a Dr. Anderson had noted a history of postpartum mood disorder; that an evaluation described an inherent uncertainty about the defendant's mental condition, which Collins said she did not know about; that treatment of the lacerations was delayed a day or two after arrival; that Collins agreed Dr. Anderson had recorded the wounds as superficial and needing no immediate treatment; and that Collins did not know when the psychiatric evaluation had been carried out (East Idaho News).
Sejal ShahCommonwealth12:23
Psychiatrist, Brigham and Women's Hospital. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 26 and renders the name Shaw.
Direct: Sprague. Carried from the earlier compilation of this day; no outlet read in this pass names the examining prosecutor. Cross: Reddington
- HOW SHE CAME TO SEE THE PATIENT. She explained that treating teams call psychiatry in for hospital consultations. She met the defendant on January 29, 2023, while the team was treating her for a suicide attempt, and was asked to determine whether she had the mental capacity to change her health care proxy (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE TEST SHE APPLIED. Whether the patient can voice a choice, understand it, appreciate its risks and benefits, and reason through the decision. She noted that a traumatic brain injury could bear on such an assessment, and testified the defendant was not diagnosed with one (East Idaho News).
- THE RESULT, AND THE DELAY. The defendant voiced a choice and understood it. The team waited a day before executing the change because of the treating team's concerns about delirium, and the next day the choice was the same (East Idaho News).
- NO PSYCHOSIS NOTED. She did not note signs of psychosis at her examination (East Idaho News).
- WHAT HER RECORDS SHOWED, WITH THE DATES REPORTED DIFFERENTLY. CNN reports her describing a patient who was calm and cooperative, and a January 30, 2023 assessment in which the defendant denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts, denied hallucinations and delusions, and had an organized and goal-directed thought process. boston.com attaches the mood recorded as OK and the organized and goal-oriented thoughts to the January 29 evaluation. Both are recorded (CNN via KVIA, boston.com).
- THE HALLUCINATIONS SHE DID RECORD. CBS Boston reports her testifying that the defendant briefly experienced visual hallucinations, and that her thoughts about what she had done were not constant (CBS Boston, boston.com).
- THE LATER VISITS. On February 19 the defendant denied hallucinations and suicidal intent. On February 21 she was low about the paralysis, and her thoughts about killing the children were recorded as not constant through the day. boston.com records her as remaining future-oriented, focused on her physical and legal situation rather than on the killings (boston.com, CBS Boston).
- ON CROSS: SHE BELIEVED THE PATIENT. She agreed the defendant was honest and was not exaggerating her symptoms for advantage in the case (boston.com, CNN via KVIA).
- ON CROSS: A PERSON IN PSYCHOSIS CAN STILL PLAN. She acknowledged that someone in psychosis can plan and make decisions (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: THE LIMITS OF THE VISIT. She saw the defendant once for about twenty minutes and was not aware of psychosis symptoms in that brief visit; she did not recall reading about hypomania, which she described as a lesser degree of mania in which a person is moving too quickly (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: WHAT WAS IN THE RECORD AND WHAT WAS NOT. She was aware of insomnia, of suicidal ideation and of postpartum anxiety in the record, and not aware of homicidal ideation; she was not aware of a do-not-resuscitate instruction and said it would be in the records. The defendant was on medication for pain and blood pressure and knew about the surgery ahead of her (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: THE MEDICATION QUESTIONS. She agreed that SSRIs can be prescribed to a bipolar patient only with another protective medication; explained serotonin as a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and SSRIs as blocking its reabsorption; agreed that antidepressants carry suicide warnings and that studies show they can increase suicidality, especially in adolescents but also in adults; and identified trazodone as a sleep medication often used in patients with mood disorders and not an SSRI. She said she had been concerned about the quantity of medication the defendant was on at the time of the hospitalization, and was aware of the January 24 toxicology report. She did not know which doctors had instructed the defendant to start or stop medications (East Idaho News).
- ON REDIRECT: THE COMMONWEALTH'S ANSWER ON THE MEDICATION. She was aware the defendant was not taking all of the medications at the same time; she was not aware that she had taken very little of each prescription; her information about the medications came from the defendant's own account; and she said she would not be surprised to learn she had not taken some of them (East Idaho News).
- ON RECROSS: CLEANING THE GARAGE. She agreed that exercising and cleaning out a garage do not by themselves mean a person is manic, but agreed that combined with reported insomnia, a feeling of a broken brain and homicidal ideation, such behavior is something to weigh in a diagnosis (East Idaho News).
Jhilam BiswasCommonwealth14:00
Forensic psychiatrist, Brigham and Women's Hospital. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 27; Boston 25 describes her as a forensic psychologist.
Direct: Sprague. Carried from the earlier compilation of this day; no outlet read in this pass names the examining prosecutor. Cross: Reddington
- THE VISIT. She met the defendant on January 26, 2023, between about 2 and 3 p.m. The defendant was awake and oriented but intubated, so speaking was difficult (East Idaho News, boston.com).
- HOW THEY COMMUNICATED, REPORTED TWO WAYS. East Idaho News records the defendant gesturing for something to write with and being given paper and a pen; Boston 25 and boston.com describe a whiteboard. Both are recorded (East Idaho News, Boston 25, boston.com).
- THE FIRST ANSWER. Asked how she was feeling, the defendant wrote that she was horrified (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com, CBS Boston, CNN via KVIA).
- WHAT SHE ASKED. Whether she had an attorney, whether her body was broken, whether her legs were straight, and whether she could have visitors (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- HOW SHE PRESENTED. Anxious, needing breaks during the visit, with answers that stayed relevant to the questions (East Idaho News).
- THE ASSESSMENT. She assessed the defendant for suicidality ahead of surgery and found her capable of making decisions about the spine surgery (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- NO SIGNS OF PSYCHOSIS. She did not note signs of psychosis at the examination, and explained that a person in psychosis may be engaged with hallucinations, which was not present here (East Idaho News, boston.com).
- PSYCHOSIS IS NOT THE SAME IN EVERY PATIENT. She testified that how psychosis presents depends on the patient, their age, the number of prior psychotic episodes and the type of psychosis, and that some people have moments of clarity while for others the symptoms are more continuous. This is the concession the earlier compilation of this day recorded as agreement that psychosis can fluctuate (East Idaho News, boston.com).
- ON CROSS: TWENTY MINUTES. She agreed the evaluation lasted only about twenty minutes; boston.com puts it at twenty to thirty (East Idaho News, boston.com, CNN via KVIA).
- ON CROSS: AN INCOMPLETE RECORD. She was aware of postpartum anxiety in the medical record, of insomnia and of suicidal ideation, and was not aware of homicidal ideation. She did not remember reading about hypomania. Asked whether she knew the defendant had a spinal injury, had coded or had been transfused, Boston 25 records her saying that had happened afterward but that she was not certain because she did not have the full records (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE VISIT. The defendant was on medication for pain and blood pressure and was about to have spine surgery. Asked how many police were present, she did not recall. Her involvement ended after the evaluation (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- ON REDIRECT: WHAT SHE HAD READ, AND THE LAWYER QUESTION. She said she had done a limited review of the available records rather than a comprehensive examination. Asked whether one of the defendant's first thoughts was about having a lawyer, she answered that the defendant was exhausted, in pain and about to undergo surgery (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- ON RECROSS: She agreed the defendant was not focused on anything beyond the imminent surgery (East Idaho News).
Robert FlynnCommonwealth14:43
Sergeant, Duxbury Police Department. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 28.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None recorded by any outlet read.
- WHAT HE ARRIVED TO. He responded to the dispatch to 47 Summer Street, found a chaotic scene, and was told a mother had killed her three children and that they were believed to still be in the house. He notified the Massachusetts State Police (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE SWEEP. He conducted a security sweep with three officers across all three floors. It was obvious young children lived there; he noted a takeout food bag, and East Idaho News records a snack on the couch. Photographs of the takeout bags and the kitchen were shown to the jury (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- PATRICK CLANCY was on scene and was transported (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE BASEMENT. He went down to the basement, which remained very chaotic (Boston 25).
- THE MASTER BEDROOM. Colder than the rest of the house, with the window open and a cell phone on the bed (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE BACKYARD. He saw matted-down snow and medical equipment in the backyard where he believed the defendant had come out, and the screen appeared pushed open. Backyard photographs were shown. boston.com records him noting blood near the upstairs bedroom window through which the Commonwealth says she went out (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- SECURING THE SCENE. Officers logged people entering and leaving, crime scene tape went up, and he stayed until the state troopers arrived and the State Police took over as the primary investigating agency. He was aware a search warrant was sought after the decision about who would go to the hospital, was present during the search but did not take part in it, and helped remove equipment from the home (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
Mark FarioliCommonwealth14:58
Detective, Massachusetts State Police. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 29.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined him. Cross: None recorded by any outlet read.
- He collected blood and urine from the defendant at the hospital in a limited capacity and brought seven vials in total to the State Police laboratory. East Idaho News specifies six of the seven as blood; boston.com dates the collection January 31, 2023 (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
Leah O'ConnellCommonwealth15:01
Trooper, Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 30.
Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: None recorded by any outlet read.
- She received the vials of blood and urine from Det. Farioli on January 31. Her testimony took about a minute (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
John SantosCommonwealth15:04
Massachusetts State Police; the earlier compilation of this day records the rank as captain. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 31 and renders the first name Mark.
Direct: Sprague. Carried from the earlier compilation of this day; no outlet read in this pass names the examining prosecutor. Cross: Reddington
- WHAT HE SEARCHED. He was part of the search warrant team and searched the basement, the kitchen area and the master bedroom on the second floor (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE PAPER RECORD OF HER TREATMENT. The prosecution showed items he seized from cabinet shelves: notebooks, the McLean Hospital discharge paperwork listing her medications, and a postpartum workbook that had not been completed (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- THE BOOKS AND THE NOTEBOOK. East Idaho News records the titles as a book about good mothers having scary thoughts and a postpartum anxiety workbook, and a notebook labeled with Callan's full name containing exchanges of notes. He also found the defendant's own notes about her medication and instructions for taking it (East Idaho News).
- THE ELECTRONICS. He collected laptop computers and an external hard drive from the office part of the basement (East Idaho News).
- WHERE THE MEDICATION WAS. He testified he learned from Patrick Clancy that the defendant had been prescribed medication, and that medication was found in the kitchen. He did not recall medication being found during his own search (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: THE DRAWER HE DID NOT OPEN. He did not search the nightstand drawer in the bedroom and said someone was probably already searching the area where the additional medication was eventually found. Asked whether he was aware pills were found in a drawer with an Apple Watch, he said he had not searched that drawer and could not speak for whoever did. He believed the Apple Watch was turned over after the search warrant was completed (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com).
- ON CROSS: WHO SEARCHED THE BEDROOM. Asked who searched it and how many officers, he guessed about five. Asked who found the medication in the kitchen, he did not recall and said it was probably an officer (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: WHAT THEY DID NOT KNOW. Asked whether officers were aware the defendant had been taking crushed pills with lemonade, he said no (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: WHY THE BOOKS WERE TAKEN. Reddington established that the book and the workbook were seized because they were relevant to the investigation, and Santos agreed (Boston 25).
Cory MeloCommonwealth15:22
Trooper, Massachusetts State Police, then assigned to the detective unit in the Plymouth County District Attorney's office. East Idaho News numbers him Commonwealth witness 32; some outlets call him a detective.
Direct: Buckingham Cross: Reddington
- WHAT HE SEIZED. He took part in the search of the house and seized a laptop, the workout bands and a cell phone. He was aware more items were brought in after the warrant was executed and said that is common (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- THE JOURNAL HE DID NOT FIND. The prosecution showed him a journal he had not located during the search but had reviewed later, when it was brought in as evidence. His task was reviewing the books and journals (Boston 25, East Idaho News).
- WHAT THE PROSECUTION READ. Shanan Buckingham read entries aloud, some of them undated, describing the defendant feeling overwhelmed, anxious and wanting to die. In an undated entry she wrote that she was completely overwhelmed trying to care for the three children and felt like she was drowning every day (Boston 25, East Idaho News, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- SLEEP TRAINING. Entries described sleep training eight-month-old Callan and hearing him cry for long stretches without intervening. boston.com records an entry in which she told Patrick she wanted to die during one of those episodes (boston.com, CBS Boston, Boston 25).
- INSOMNIA AND GUILT. Buckingham read entries about horrible insomnia and anxiety and guilt about Callan missing milestones (boston.com).
- NOVEMBER 2022. A November 18, 2022 entry described being desperate for a mental break and worrying about whether she could function at work. Oxygen renders the entry as her writing that she was so desperate for a mental break from caring for everyone that her mind was trying to make something physically wrong with her (boston.com, East Idaho News, Oxygen, CBS Boston).
- THE YELLOW NOTEBOOK. A yellow notebook covering October 18 to January 18, labeled with Callan's name, set out the baby's schedule in the defendant's handwriting (East Idaho News).
- ON CROSS: THE OTHER HALF OF THE SAME PAGES. Reddington took Melo through a notebook East Idaho News calls the Tree of Life notebook, with several pages the defendant wrote about her children. She wrote that sleep training Callan just about killed her because she did not intervene, and that she felt guilty about sleep training him a week before he turned four months old (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: ASKING FOR HELP. Reddington read the continuation of an entry in which she wrote that she did not know what was wrong with her, that she wanted help and wanted to be well, and boston.com records an entry recording no appetite (Boston 25, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- ON CROSS: BRAIN FOG. She wrote about crazy brain fog and living moment to moment, and about worrying that she would not be able to function at work (East Idaho News, Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: THE BABY. Entries described feeling completely disconnected from the baby and going through the motions, being terrified he would fall ill, anxiety that started after the sleep training, and worry about missed milestones even though the child was still happy. boston.com records guilt about money and about moving from breastfeeding to formula for the sake of her mental health, and CBS Boston records an entry of guilt about the marriage (East Idaho News, Boston 25, boston.com, CBS Boston).
- ON CROSS: THE AFFIRMATIONS. Reddington established that she wrote affirmations in a notebook about being calm and sleeping through the night (Boston 25).
- ON CROSS: THE DRAWER AGAIN. Asked why nobody searched the drawer holding the medications and the Apple Watch, and who was involved in the bedroom search and how many people, Melo said he did not recall (Boston 25).
Exhibits and evidence
- Photographs of the defendant's neck and wrist injuries, taken at South Shore Hospital on January 24 and shown to the jury during Dr. McDonough's testimony and again in close-up during Meghan Collins's. No exhibit number reported.
- A photograph of the trauma room at South Shore Hospital, shown during Sgt. Stoffers's testimony. No exhibit number reported.
- The hospital records for the three children and the imaging described by Drs. Snyder, Capraro and Casavant. East Idaho News records the defense not opposing their admission. No exhibit numbers reported.
- A document of January 25, 2023 timed 9:03 a.m. indicating the defendant was under arrest, put to Meghan Collins on cross-examination (East Idaho News). No exhibit number reported.
- Photographs of the takeout bags and the kitchen, and photographs of the backyard, shown during Sgt. Flynn's testimony. No exhibit numbers reported.
- Seven vials of the defendant's blood and urine, collected by Det. Farioli and received at the State Police laboratory by Trooper O'Connell on January 31, 2023. No exhibit numbers reported.
- McLean Hospital discharge paperwork listing the defendant's medications, seized by Santos. No exhibit number reported.
- An uncompleted postpartum workbook, a book about good mothers having scary thoughts, and a postpartum anxiety workbook, seized by Santos. No exhibit numbers reported.
- A notebook labeled with Callan's full name containing exchanges of notes, seized by Santos; the earlier compilation of this day describes it as containing nanny notes. No exhibit number reported.
- The defendant's own notes about her medications and instructions for taking them, seized by Santos. No exhibit number reported.
- Laptop computers and an external hard drive from the basement office, and a laptop, the workout bands and a cell phone seized by Melo. No exhibit numbers reported.
- The defendant's journals, including an undated entry about drowning every day, an entry of November 18, 2022, a yellow notebook covering October 18 to January 18 labeled with Callan's name, and the notebook East Idaho News calls the Tree of Life notebook. Read by both sides through Melo. No exhibit numbers reported.
- A bag of medications and documents photographed by Sgt. Stoffers at the State Police detective unit office in Plymouth on February 6, 2023. No exhibit number reported.
Rulings and objections
- 11:39DEFENSE QUESTION ABOUT THE LAWYER REQUEST SENT THE PARTIES TO SIDEBAR. East Idaho News records a sidebar during Rachelle Amedee's testimony on an objection to a defense question about the defendant's request to contact a lawyer. ARGUED: no outlet read records what was said. RULED: not reported. The time is approximate, placed at the start of Reddington's cross-examination as Boston 25 timestamps it.
- 12:22COMMONWEALTH OBJECTION DURING COLLINS'S CROSS-EXAMINATION, SIDEBAR. East Idaho News records a prosecution objection when the defense raised the history of postpartum psychosis with Meghan Collins, and the judge calling the lawyers to sidebar. ARGUED: no outlet read records what was said. RULED: not reported. The time is approximate, placed within the cross-examination Boston 25 timestamps from about 12:22.
- -AN OBJECTION TO A QUESTION ABOUT THE PATIENT'S HONESTY WAS DENIED. East Idaho News's account of the day records a defense objection to a question about whether the patient was honest being denied. It does not identify the witness or the time, and no other outlet read mentions it. Recorded as reported; the exchange in which Dr. Shah agreed the defendant was honest is reported separately by boston.com and CNN, and this file does not assert that the two are the same moment.
Procedural
- 09:15Court opened and Dr. Michael Snyder was called as the Commonwealth's first witness of the day. East Idaho News timestamps it 9:15; Boston 25 has its reporter arriving at 9:17 for day five and the witness sworn at 9:19.
- 09:32Dr. Andrew Capraro called (Boston 25 and East Idaho News agree on the time).
- 09:36Boston 25 records the defendant holding her head in her hands during Dr. Capraro's testimony.
- 09:40Dr. David Casavant called. Boston 25 timestamps it 9:40, East Idaho News 9:45.
- 10:02Dr. Kelly McDonough called. Boston 25 timestamps it 10:02, East Idaho News 10:01.
- 10:20Reddington began the cross-examination of McDonough (Boston 25).
- 10:32Boston 25 records a morning recess of about twenty minutes called at 10:32.
- 10:36Sgt. Rose Stoffers called. Boston 25 timestamps it 10:36, East Idaho News 10:35.
- 10:46Stoffers stepped down and Boston 25 records a morning recess at 10:46; East Idaho News timestamps the recess 10:47. Boston 25's blog carries two recess entries for the morning, at 10:32 and 10:46, with Stoffers's testimony between them.
- 11:25Court back in session; Rachelle Amedee called. Boston 25 timestamps it 11:25, East Idaho News 11:23.
- 11:39Reddington began the cross-examination of Amedee (Boston 25).
- 12:06Amedee finished and Meghan Collins was called. Boston 25 timestamps it 12:06, East Idaho News 12:24.
- 12:22Reddington began the cross-examination of Collins (Boston 25).
- 12:23Dr. Sejal Shah called. Boston 25 timestamps it 12:23, East Idaho News 12:38.
- 13:01Lunch recess, with testimony to resume at 2 p.m. (East Idaho News). East Idaho News's account has all of Dr. Shah's direct, cross, redirect and recross finishing before this break; Boston 25's blog carries nothing between 12:26 and 2 p.m., so the point at which Shah left the stand is not established by any outlet read.
- 14:00Court resumed and Dr. Jhilam Biswas took the stand. Boston 25 timestamps it 14:00, East Idaho News 14:13.
- 14:43Sgt. Robert Flynn called (Boston 25 and East Idaho News agree).
- 14:58Det. Mark Farioli called. Boston 25 timestamps it 14:58, East Idaho News 14:59.
- 15:01Trooper Leah O'Connell called. Boston 25 timestamps it 15:01, East Idaho News 15:02.
- 15:04John Santos called. Boston 25 timestamps it 15:04, East Idaho News 15:06.
- 15:22Trooper Cory Melo called, the last witness of the day (Boston 25 and East Idaho News agree).
- 15:37Melo stepped down (Boston 25).
- 15:39SCHEDULING FROM THE BENCH. Court recessed until Tuesday at 9 a.m. Boston 25 records the recess at 15:39 and the court formally in recess at 15:42; East Idaho News gives 15:45; boston.com has the jury dismissed before 15:45. The earlier compilation of this day carried 15:45.