Commonwealth v. Clancy, August 7, 2026: Kimberlee Hardy, Sarah Carney, Alia Goodheart, Jennifer Tufts

Commonwealth v. Clancy, August 7, 2026

FridayreportedcommonwealthDay 9 of 28

The two clinicians who were actually treating her take the stand: the McLean psychiatrist who discharged her nineteen days before, and the psychiatrist who saw her fourteen times by video and last saw her the day before. Both say they saw no psychosis; the cross-examination of the first is the defense's best hour of the trial so far.

Key points

THE SHAPE OF THE DAY. Both treating clinicians told the jury, on the Commonwealth's direct examination, that they never saw a sign of psychosis — Goodheart across a five-day inpatient stay three weeks before, Tufts across fourteen appointments ending the day before. That is the Commonwealth's answer to the criminal-responsibility defense, and it came from the defendant's own doctors.
AND BOTH HAVE A REASON TO SAY IT. Goodheart and Tufts are each named defendants in the defendant's medical malpractice suit (boston.com, Boston Globe, WBUR). No outlet read reports either side putting that to either witness on this date. It is recorded because a reader needs it, not because anyone argued it.
RESOLVES THE REFERENCE'S NOTE about a prescriber with a limited postpartum-psychosis caseload: it is Dr. Goodheart of McLean, who paused a long time and then told the jury she had never treated a patient with postpartum psychosis, in about twenty years of practice that included many patients with postpartum depression.
THE DEFENSE'S BEST MATERIAL CAME FROM A COMMONWEALTH WITNESS. Goodheart agreed on cross that McLean made no collateral inquiry beyond speaking to Patrick Clancy, obtained no records from the clinicians already treating her, never asked her to sign a release, gave no MMPI and no Edinburgh postpartum depression scale, did no thyroid test, and did not measure the levels of the drugs she was taking. She did not know the defendant had called a suicide hotline. That list is the malpractice case and the criminal defense at the same time.
THE STAY ENDED EARLY BECAUSE THE PATIENT ASKED. A Friday discharge had been discussed; she asked to leave sooner, and Goodheart agreed on condition of next-day follow-up. This matters in both directions: the Commonwealth's version is a patient who was future-oriented and organized enough to book her own appointment, and the defense's is a hospital that let a deteriorating woman talk her way out.
TUFTS RAISED BIPOLAR DISORDER IN DECEMBER 2022 AND REJECTED IT, finding no mania, no euphoria, no grandiosity and no increased risk-taking. Both defense experts later diagnosed bipolar disorder with postpartum psychosis. See the bipolar-diagnosis entry in the evidence file.
THE POOR-INSIGHT FINDING CUTS BOTH WAYS. Tufts recorded the defendant's insight as poor because she kept blaming her symptoms on her medication rather than on her illness, and told the jury she thought she was simply depressed. The defense's whole theory is that the medication was in fact making her worse. Same note in the chart, opposite readings.
THE FORMAT OF THE APPOINTMENTS WAS PUT IN EVIDENCE ON DIRECT, NOT ON CROSS. Tufts explained the seventeen documented minutes of therapy inside an appointment of about twenty-five minutes, and that every appointment was by video. That is the ground the defense fights on when it cross-examines her on August 10.
THE HOT-MIC DISPUTE IS UNRESOLVED. The defense says prosecutors were recorded saying shut her up; the district attorney's office says the words were shut it off, meaning the autopsy photographs on the screen, and its account of who said them changed. The judge made no finding, and issued a general warning instead. See the hot-mic-comment entry in the evidence file.
WITNESS NUMBERING. East Idaho News numbers this day's four witnesses 57 through 60, and CBS Boston independently calls Sarah Carney the 58th prosecution witness. Two outlets agreeing on August 7 narrows the window in which East Idaho News's running count slips by one; see the eastidaho-witness-numbering entry in the evidence file.
NAME VARIANT. Alia Goodheart in most coverage, Ali Goodheart in East Idaho News, and Aliyah Goodhart in the treatment chronology in the case reference. The Kingsbury Club is Kingsberry to East Idaho News.
TWO DATE CONFLICTS RECORDED, NOT RESOLVED. Kimberlee Hardy's last sight of the children is January 13 and January 17 to the Boston Globe and boston.com and January 19 to East Idaho News. The December appointment at which the defendant described intrusive thoughts on Remeron as a feeling that she was going to die is December 1 to CBS Boston and East Idaho News and December 21 to the Boston Globe.
THE JANUARY 22 BONFIRE IS CORROBORATED BY BOTH HOSTS: Sarah Carney here and her husband Kyle Carney on August 6, 2026. Both describe the defendant as quiet but otherwise unremarkable two days before the killings, which is the Commonwealth's point and one the defense answered by drawing out how little either of them saw of her.

Witnesses (4)

Kimberlee HardyCommonwealth09:21

Former child services director at the Kingsbury Club, a fitness club in Kingston. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 57 and renders the club 'Kingsberry'; CBS Boston calls her the former director of the club.

Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Reddington

WHAT THE PLAYROOM WAS. Members could leave children in a supervised playroom for sessions of up to two hours, and had to remain on the premises while the children were there (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
WHO BROUGHT THE CHILDREN. She saw Cora and Dawson there often. Patrick Clancy usually did the drop-offs and pickups, though the defendant did so sometimes (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
THE THIRD CHILD WAS NEVER ENROLLED. She asked whether the Clancys wanted to bring Callan and was told no. The reason as reported by boston.com and the Boston Globe is that the defendant was nervous about colds because it was cold and flu season; East Idaho News and CBS Boston render it as the family being scared of sickness.
HOW THE DEFENDANT SEEMED. Shy, with little conversation, through the fall and winter of 2022. She wore workout clothes when she dropped the children off and was never late collecting them (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE LAST TIME SHE SAW THEM, AND THE OUTLETS DISAGREE. The Boston Globe reports drop-offs on January 13 and January 17, 2023, with the children their usual selves, playing with dolls and coloring. East Idaho News gives the last club visit as January 19 and records Hardy describing Cora drawing pictures before pickup. See the hardy-last-visit entry in the evidence file.
ON CROSS, MATERIAL AGAINST THE SIDE THAT CALLED HER. Reddington had her agree that the children were happy to see their mother, that the defendant seemed happy to be with them, and that she always collected them on time (Boston Globe, boston.com, CBS Boston). boston.com records her denying that she had ever seen the defendant angry with the children.
ON CROSS, THE EXERCISE POINT. The Boston Globe records Reddington having her agree that people exercise for health reasons; East Idaho News renders the same point as psychiatrists commonly recommending exercise. The defense has used the defendant's exercise both to answer the Commonwealth's picture of a mother who resented her children and, elsewhere, to argue an undiagnosed manic onset.
HOW LITTLE SHE KNEW. East Idaho News records her agreeing on cross that she and the defendant were not close enough for the defendant to confide in her.

Sarah CarneyCommonwealth09:33

Duxbury resident and family friend. She and her husband Kyle Carney knew Patrick Clancy from college; Kyle Carney testified to the same January 22 bonfire on August 6, 2026. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 58, and CBS Boston independently calls her the 58th prosecution witness. CBS Boston puts her about ten minutes on the stand.

Direct: Not reported which prosecutor examined her. Cross: Reddington

HOW THEY KNEW EACH OTHER. She and Kyle went to college with Patrick Clancy; she met the defendant later and the families socialized, with beach outings and visits to each other's homes (Boston Globe). On cross Reddington established that the relationship ran about twelve years and was social rather than close (East Idaho News).
NO CHANGE AFTER THE BIRTHS. She testified she saw no observable change in the defendant after any of the three children were born (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
THINNER IN THE FALL. In the fall and winter of 2022 the defendant looked thinner, and boston.com adds more frail. They never discussed postpartum problems or trouble sleeping (boston.com).
THE EXERCISE VIDEOS. She had seen videos the defendant posted of herself working out at home with the children playing in the background — Boston 25 records exercise bands, the Boston Globe toys.
THE BONFIRE TWO DAYS BEFORE. On January 22, 2023 the Carneys hosted a bonfire that Patrick, the defendant, Cora and Dawson attended. The defendant was quiet but fairly normal, and when Carney asked how she was doing she said she was good (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News, CBS Boston).
ON CROSS, THE BONFIRE AGAIN. boston.com records Reddington establishing that the gathering was around lunchtime, that the Clancys stayed a few hours, and that the defendant appeared quieter and thinner that day.
ON CROSS, HOW LITTLE SHE HAD SEEN HER. She agreed she had seen the defendant alone only once in the fall of 2022, at a drop-off (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).

Alia GoodheartCommonwealth09:43

Psychiatrist on the inpatient unit at McLean Hospital, where the defendant was admitted from January 1 to January 5, 2023. boston.com records earlier work at Beth Israel, the psychiatric unit at Emerson Hospital and the state women's prison at Framingham. She is a named defendant in the defendant's medical malpractice suit (boston.com, Boston Globe). East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 59 and renders the first name 'Ali'.

Direct: Buckingham per CBS Boston; no other outlet read names the prosecutor. Cross: Reddington

HOW THE UNIT WORKS. A team approach — psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and mental health workers. Patients arrive voluntarily or involuntarily, often from surrounding emergency departments. Observation is graded by assessed risk, from fifteen-minute checks up to continuous monitoring (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
THE ADMISSION. The defendant was referred from Massachusetts General Hospital and checked in voluntarily at about 4 a.m. on January 1, 2023; East Idaho News records that she came by ambulance. She was medically stable. Her chief complaint was that she could not sleep without medication, and she reported feeling numb and having medication side effects (Boston Globe, boston.com, Boston 25, East Idaho News).
THE PROVISIONAL DIAGNOSIS. Major depressive disorder, severe, without psychotic features (CBS Boston, Boston 25, East Idaho News). Boston 25 records the incoming Massachusetts General notes as showing no homicidal ideation and no evidence of psychosis or mania.
THE RISK RATING. Low or minimal, with fifteen-minute checks. The records showed thoughts of wanting to be dead but no plan, and no signs of psychosis (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
WHERE THE INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS CAME FROM. The records showed intrusive and suicidal thoughts beginning in December 2022, which the defendant attributed to her prescribed medications (Boston Globe, Boston 25's filed story).
THE FIRST DAY, AND ANOTHER PSYCHIATRIST. East Idaho News names Dr. Elizabeth Madva as the psychiatrist who saw the defendant on January 1 at 12:47 p.m.: she denied feeling depressed or suicidal but reported numbness and anxiety, which Madva put down to medication side effects, with a plan to taper and observe. East Idaho News records her medications on arrival as Seroquel 100 mg daily, Valium 2 mg and Benadryl. The Boston Globe and boston.com record a different psychiatrist seeing her on January 1 without naming that person.
BIPOLAR IN THE BACKGROUND. A previous provider had suspected bipolar disorder and the defendant disagreed with that diagnosis. Goodheart explained that the medication in question served several purposes besides bipolar disorder, insomnia among them (Boston Globe).
SLEEP IMPROVING. On January 2 the defendant reported sleeping well on a reduced Seroquel dose and denied suicidal and homicidal ideation, with no hallucinations or delusions reported. The plan was to keep reducing (Boston Globe, Boston 25, East Idaho News).
THE FIRST FACE-TO-FACE, JANUARY 3. Anxious but cooperative and polite, affect matching mood, thinking linear and goal-directed. She used the word numbness repeatedly; Goodheart said numbness can be a side effect of Seroquel. She said she did not want to depend on an antipsychotic to fall asleep. Asked what kept her from ending her life she gave her children, her family and her mother, and she had no plan (Boston Globe, boston.com, Boston 25).
WHAT SHE ACTUALLY DIAGNOSED. After the first meeting Goodheart recorded insomnia with a mental health condition, and said she did not have enough information to go further (Boston Globe, WBUR).
POSTPARTUM WAS ON THE TABLE. She testified she considered postpartum issues a possible factor. Boston 25's filed story reports her saying the risks of postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis were serious considerations as the team worked to understand her. She was also watching for bipolar disorder, and said sleep matters because sleep deprivation can lead to a hypomanic episode (Boston Globe, Boston 25).
THE MEDICATION CHANGES. Taper off Seroquel; Cymbalta suggested as the antidepressant to follow; Valium switched to Ativan, which she said manages anxiety well in her experience; trazodone for sleep. The defendant mentioned that her husband was concerned about benzodiazepine use. Goodheart saw no signs of psychosis (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE STAY ENDED EARLY AT THE PATIENT'S REQUEST. A Friday discharge had been discussed. On January 4 she reported sleeping well, said she was anxious about being in hospital and wanted to be with her family, and asked to leave early. Outlets tie the request to a birthday party: Cora's per Boston 25 and East Idaho News, her daughter's per boston.com, an upcoming family birthday per the Boston Globe. Goodheart agreed on condition of psychiatric follow-up the next day. East Idaho News records no Seroquel given on January 4, with trazodone used for sleep instead.
THE FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT AS A TEST. Staff had the defendant arrange her own follow-up appointment, which Goodheart described as a way of assessing her thinking. She did it (boston.com, Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
WHY SHE THOUGHT DISCHARGE WAS SAFE. Goodheart said she had no concerns about the defendant's safety or the safety of anyone else. The protective factors she listed: future-oriented, a caring mother, family support, stable housing, no history of psychosis, no history of suicide attempts, outpatient follow-up arranged, and she had never said at McLean that she had any thought of harming anyone else (Boston Globe, CBS Boston, East Idaho News, WBUR).
WHAT SHE ASSUMED. boston.com records her saying she assumed the defendant would take what she had prescribed.
WHAT PATRICK CLANCY HAD SAID. She was aware Patrick Clancy had told a social worker he thought his wife was taking medications because of social pressure, many of her friends being on them (boston.com), and the Boston Globe and East Idaho News record him voicing displeasure to a social worker about the care she had received before.
THE DISCHARGE. The afternoon of January 5, 2023, with fourteen days each of Ativan and trazodone; East Idaho News puts the discharge resources at about 3 p.m. She denied wanting to kill herself, denied a plan and denied any thought of harming anyone else. She told a social worker she felt comfortable managing at home (Boston Globe, CBS Boston, boston.com, East Idaho News).
NO PSYCHOSIS. Asked on direct whether she observed any sign of psychosis, she said no (CBS Boston).
ON CROSS, THE HOLIDAY UNIT. East Idaho News records Reddington drawing out that New Year's Eve ran on a skeleton crew and that Goodheart could not say how long the evaluation took; the Boston Globe records her saying she could not speak to staffing levels on the unit. Psychiatrists are not assigned shifts the way support staff are; four psychiatrists covered the unit in teams. She noted the defendant met two psychiatrists on January 1.
ON CROSS, WHAT MCLEAN NEVER LOOKED AT. This is the defense's strongest material of the day and it came from a Commonwealth witness. No records were obtained from the clinicians who had been treating her and nobody asked her to sign a release for them (Boston Globe). Asked what was done beyond talking to the defendant and calling her husband, Goodheart said McLean did no additional collateral contact beyond Patrick (WJAR).
ON CROSS, THE TESTS NOT DONE. East Idaho News records that no MMPI was administered — a test it describes as assessing whether a patient is reporting symptoms honestly — and that no Edinburgh postpartum depression scale was given, Goodheart answering that scales are a tool and do not determine a diagnosis. No thyroid test was done at McLean; she agreed the thyroid can affect mood and anxiety whether or not a person is pregnant, called it a small component of the assessment, and said the values imported from Massachusetts General were within normal limits (boston.com, East Idaho News).
ON CROSS, THE BLOOD LEVELS. Reddington put it to her that drawing blood from a patient on a combination of drugs to find out the levels is a valid medical step. She answered that it is not a regular procedure at all, that psychiatry as a field does not depend on blood tests, and remarked that it would be simpler if it did (boston.com). East Idaho News separately records that blood testing for substance use was done at McLean, which is a different test from measuring the levels of prescribed drugs; no outlet read reconciles the two.
ON CROSS, WHAT SHE DID NOT KNOW. She did not know the defendant had called a suicide hotline — boston.com says twice, East Idaho News records Reddington asking how many times and Goodheart not knowing, and pressing on why it mattered. She did not recall the defendant saying she had gone forty-eight hours without sleep after first taking Zoloft (boston.com, WBUR).
ON CROSS, THE ANSWER THAT MATTERS MOST. Asked how many women with postpartum psychosis she had treated, she paused a long time and said she had not seen any. Over roughly twenty years she had treated many patients with postpartum depression but could not give a number. Carried by boston.com, the Boston Globe, Boston 25, CBS Boston and East Idaho News.
ON CROSS, THE DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL. Reddington held up the manual. Goodheart said postpartum depression appears as a subcategory of depression, could not say where postpartum psychosis sits, and was only vaguely aware of the discussion about where it should go in the next edition. boston.com records her saying medical organizations put the duration of postpartum symptoms anywhere from weeks to a year. East Idaho News alone renders the exchange in terms of the fourth and fifth editions, a four-week postpartum cutoff against the twelve months the CDC uses, and a next edition; it is the only outlet read that gives edition numbers.
ON CROSS, THE ZOLOFT QUESTION. Asked whether Zoloft should be prescribed to a person who may be bipolar, she said it depends on the individual case (boston.com, East Idaho News).
ON CROSS, WHETHER THE PATIENT COULD BE BELIEVED. She said the defendant was cooperative and forthcoming and that she had no reason to believe she was not a reliable reporter. Asked whether patients sometimes minimize or lie about symptoms, she said that a clinician reads presentation, body language and eye contact as well as words (Boston Globe, boston.com).
ON CROSS, HOW SICK SHE WAS. Asked whether the defendant was very sick at McLean, she said she did not understand the characterization and declined to adopt it (boston.com, WBUR). She acknowledged the records showed earlier intrusive thoughts of suicide and mental fogginess, and said the defendant did not describe herself at McLean as feeling like a zombie.
ON CROSS, WHAT SHE WAS SENT HOME WITH. A website for finding a psychiatrist, contact details for a Blue Cross and Blue Shield case manager to help locate providers, and a discharge summary listing resources. She agreed the case manager was an added benefit. Reddington pressed on whether that was enough (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
ON CROSS, THE DISCHARGE WAS NOT AGAINST ADVICE. After the midday sidebar Reddington established that the defendant did not leave against medical advice and that she made an appointment with Dr. Tufts soon after (Boston Globe). He also established that records showed she had stopped Zoloft earlier because she could not sleep, discussed with Dr. Tufts.
ON REDIRECT. The Commonwealth took her through the discharge packet — emergency numbers, follow-up instructions, community resources — and the defendant's statement that South Shore staff would assign her a therapist. Goodheart repeated the low safety-risk assessment and, asked whether the defendant ever said she had a plan to kill herself, said no (Boston Globe, Boston 25). A defense objection was sustained during this passage; see the ruling track.

Jennifer TuftsCommonwealth12:25

Psychiatrist at Aster Mental Health in Braintree and Peabody, the defendant's own psychiatrist from September 2022 until the day before the killings. East Idaho News numbers her Commonwealth witness 60 and records her as licensed about four years; the Boston Globe's filed story describes her as specializing in women's health and postpartum care. She is a named defendant in the defendant's medical malpractice suit. Direct examination only on this date; the cross-examination began on August 10, 2026.

Direct: Sprague Cross: Not reached on this date. Reddington cross-examined her on August 10, 2026.

HOW SHE CAME TO TREAT HER. The first appointment was September 15, 2022, a few months after Callan's birth. The defendant found her through an online search and had completed lengthy intake paperwork three days earlier (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
ALL OF IT BY SCREEN. The first meeting was telehealth and ran fifty to sixty minutes (East Idaho News); patients could ask for an in-person appointment (Boston Globe). ABC News records fourteen telehealth appointments in all. That every appointment was virtual becomes the spine of the defense cross-examination on August 10.
WHAT SHE BROUGHT WITH HER. She had taken Prozac and Wellbutrin in nursing school without side effects, and had taken Zoloft briefly after her second child was born, with some initial side effects Tufts could not recall in detail (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE DRINKING. One to two drinks at a time, as often as five times a week, and she felt guilty about it (boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE SYMPTOMS AT INTAKE. Anxiety attacks, decreased appetite, distractibility, excessive worry and guilt, racing thoughts, inability to feel pleasure, trouble sleeping and depressed mood. A generalized anxiety screening was highly suggestive of an anxiety disorder, with anxious thoughts nearly every day, and the questionnaire flagged her for a depression assessment (boston.com, Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
WHAT SHE DENIED, WHICH IS THE COMMONWEALTH'S POINT. On the forms and in the interview she denied wanting to end her life, denied a plan, denied access to a weapon, denied any prior attempt, denied wanting to harm anyone, denied hearing voices telling her to hurt herself or others, and denied hallucinations. Nothing in her answers indicated a past manic episode (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
NO SIGNS OF PSYCHOSIS. Tufts told the jury she assessed for disheveled appearance, agitation, speech too loud or too fast or too sparse, disconnected thinking and paranoia, and saw none. Memory, concentration, insight, judgment and orientation were intact (Boston Globe).
THE FIRST DIAGNOSIS. Generalized anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder with depressed mood — a reaction to a particular life event that may not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder (boston.com, Boston Globe, East Idaho News, WBUR).
THE FIRST PRESCRIPTION. Zoloft at 25 mg, to rise to 50 mg after a week, described as a first-line treatment for an anxiety disorder and the safest SSRI for a breastfeeding mother, together with individual therapy, which the defendant took up at Aster. Tufts said the defendant was generally reluctant to take medication but interested in learning about it, her reluctance being about side effects (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
SHE DID NOT TAKE IT. At the second September appointment she said she had decided not to start the Zoloft, reporting she felt a little better because the baby was sleeping more. Her mental status was unremarkable and she mentioned no hallucinations. Tufts recorded her insight as poor — her reasoning being that a patient with clinically significant anxiety who still will not try the medicine shows poor insight — while recording her judgment as excellent (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE SEVENTEEN MINUTES. Tufts explained that a documented seventeen minutes was the therapy portion of an appointment of about twenty-five minutes, the rest being medication management, and that in practice the two run together. She said appointments could run longer in an emergency and that the defendant never asked for longer sessions. The length and format of these appointments is the defense's central attack on August 10 (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
THE LEAVE PAPERWORK. Ahead of the October 3 appointment the defendant asked Tufts to extend her maternity leave. Through the patient portal on September 30 she wrote that she felt just well enough to function without medication but not well enough to go back to caring for patients with a baby at home who still would not take a bottle. Tufts completed the paperwork; her form allowed a return on a reduced schedule and the defendant wanted longer (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
OCTOBER 3. She said she was open to medication but wanted to try therapy first; boston.com records her saying she was on the verge of starting it. She saw the therapist for the first time that day (boston.com, Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
THE THERAPIST'S NOTES. Her parents were highly supportive and stable and she had an older sister's support. She was not close to her in-laws and generally did not have them watch the children, gave no particular reason, and added that they did not press her about it (Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
OCTOBER 20, WHEN THE ZOLOFT WENT BADLY. A week in, with the dose increased to 50 mg the night before, she felt awful: worse sleep, loss of appetite, diarrhea, low mood, tearful, foggy and very anxious. Her affect was depressed. Tufts said she was clearly not psychotic and denied suicidal and homicidal ideation, but worried aloud that she might one day have suicidal thoughts if she went on feeling this way (boston.com, Boston Globe, East Idaho News).
THE QUESTION SPRAGUE ASKED. Whether Tufts had been pushing her toward prescription medication. Tufts said no (boston.com).
STOPPING IT. Tufts told her to come off the Zoloft and they discussed alternatives, including supplements such as fish oil and other non-prescription options. The bad experience left the defendant reluctant to start anything new (boston.com, Boston Globe).
OCTOBER 21, ATIVAN. Seen again the next day because of the Zoloft reaction. She reported insomnia; Tufts started the lowest dose of Ativan, 0.5 mg, as needed for severe anxiety, for one week with follow-up, and went over the side effects. She again denied suicidal and homicidal ideation and showed no sign of mania (Boston Globe, Boston 25, East Idaho News).
OCTOBER 26. Ativan was helping the anxiety but not the sleep; she had been taking over-the-counter Benadryl, which Tufts had not directed but was glad was working. They discussed starting Buspar at a low dose, and hydroxyzine as a safer short-term option than a benzodiazepine (Boston Globe, boston.com, Boston 25, East Idaho News).
NOVEMBER 2, SHE HAD NOT STARTED IT. She had not begun the Buspar, saying she was too afraid to start a new medication, and was still using Ativan. Mood neutral, affect appropriate, no suicidal or homicidal ideation, no sign of psychosis. Tufts explained why she did not want the Ativan continued long term — the risk of dependency — and that it would need tapering rather than an abrupt stop (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
NOVEMBER 22, CARE MOVES. The defendant had joined South Shore Health's perinatal behavioral health program and was starting Prozac, still using Ativan and Benadryl. Tufts wrote a return-to-work letter that day. The plan was for prescribing to move to South Shore, with Tufts continuing in a supporting role (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
DECEMBER, WHEN IT WAS PLAINLY NOT WORKING, AND THE OUTLETS DISAGREE ON THE DATE. She had not gone back to work and said she was not getting better; the Ativan taper had failed because she could not sleep without it. Through South Shore she had been given Prozac, Remeron, Klonopin, trazodone and Seroquel, and had not started the Seroquel. On Remeron she reported intrusive thoughts, which she described as a feeling that she was going to die. She denied suicidal ideation but said she was close to it and felt very hopeless, with no plan and no intention. CBS Boston and East Idaho News place this appointment on December 1, 2022; the Boston Globe places it on December 21, 2022. See the tufts-december-appointment entry in the evidence file.
THE LINE THE DEFENSE WILL USE. She told Tufts she kept reaching out to different people and then not sticking with the plan. Tufts advised her to have one clinician managing her medication, and explained that benzodiazepines work quickly while antidepressants for anxiety take much longer (boston.com, Boston Globe, CBS Boston).
BIPOLAR RAISED AND SET ASIDE. Tufts raised the possibility of bipolar disorder with her in December and testified that she did not really meet the criteria: no mania or euphoria, no rapid speech, no grandiosity, no increased risk-taking (boston.com, Boston Globe, WBUR). This is squarely against the diagnosis both defense experts later gave the jury.
PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION SUGGESTED. Tufts raised a partial hospitalization program — daytime hospital treatment with nights at home (boston.com, Boston Globe).
DECEMBER 16, THE EMERGENCY ROOM. She reported a rough stretch, a very depressed mood and some suicidal ideation, and said she had gone to Massachusetts General Hospital and declined the inpatient program offered there. She described hopelessness and a fear of not getting better, but no plan. She was taking Valium and quetiapine, which were helping her sleep, and was referred toward the Women and Infants program in Rhode Island. She believed the Seroquel was making her more depressed; Tufts said she was not sure whether it was, and thought it possible. East Idaho News records Lamictal being prescribed around this time and Tufts not recalling any communication with South Shore about the additions (CBS Boston, Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
JANUARY 6, THE DAY AFTER MCLEAN. Still depressed and attributing it to the Seroquel, which she had stopped a couple of weeks earlier; feeling numb; denying suicidal and homicidal ideation. Tufts recorded her as deteriorating — not improving, not unchanged, a little worse than the time before — but said there was a plan for the depression and she had no concern that the defendant would harm herself or anyone else. The trazodone was raised: boston.com gives 150 mg, East Idaho News 100 mg with a further increase planned. Ativan and melatonin continued (CBS Boston, boston.com, East Idaho News).
JANUARY 9. The trazodone was helping the sleep but the mood stayed flat; East Idaho News records her saying she could not cry but could laugh. No recent suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Weeks off Seroquel with the depression unchanged, so they discussed a new antidepressant and considered Wellbutrin; because of rebound anxiety on Ativan they moved toward diazepam, which is easier to come off (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
JANUARY 11, KETAMINE. She emailed asking what Tufts thought of ketamine therapy. Tufts answered that it is a good option but hard to get covered without first failing four other antidepressants, and testified that she had considered it but did not think they were at that point yet. Sprague drew out that the defendant was getting desperate for something that would work quickly (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
JANUARY 16. Mood low. She was managing basics and hygiene and caring for the baby, but said bonding with him felt forced. No thoughts of harming anyone. They discussed tapering the Valium because she did not want to be on a daily benzodiazepine, and Tufts started amitriptyline at the lowest dose. East Idaho News records Tufts saying there was no reason to file a Section 12 — an emergency psychiatric commitment (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News).
JANUARY 23, THE DAY BEFORE. The last appointment. Depressed mood, flat affect. She said she was doing all right on 2 mg of Valium, with decreased appetite, no motivation and a feeling of numbness; she had to force herself out of bed and out of the house but was able to, and was sleeping all right. WBUR records her also reporting bouts of racing-heart anxiety. There were no side effects from the amitriptyline, which was increased to 20 mg to help her sleep, and the Valium dose continued. Speech, dress and thought process were appropriate (Boston Globe, boston.com, East Idaho News, WBUR).
THE POOR-INSIGHT FINDING, WHICH CUTS BOTH WAYS. Tufts recorded the defendant's insight as poor because across the fourteen visits she kept attributing her symptoms to the medication rather than to the underlying illness. The Boston Globe's filed story reports Tufts telling the jury that in reality she thought the defendant was simply depressed. The defense's case is that the medication was in fact making her worse, so the same clinical note supports either reading.
THE TWO QUESTIONS THE COMMONWEALTH ENDED ON. Sprague asked whether at any point the defendant told her she was planning to kill herself. No. Whether on January 23 she said she was planning to kill her children. Absolutely not (boston.com, Boston Globe, Boston 25, East Idaho News, WBUR).
ONE FURTHER QUESTION. East Idaho News records Tufts being asked whether the defendant gave her any reason to file a Section 12 and answering no, and saying the best response was medication combined with therapy.

Exhibits and evidence

The McLean Hospital record for the January 1 to January 5, 2023 admission, including the admitting notes, the nursing and social work entries, the mental status examinations and the discharge summary listing the resources the defendant was sent home with. No exhibit number reported.
The Massachusetts General Hospital notes accompanying the referral to McLean, recording no homicidal ideation and no evidence of psychosis or mania, and the laboratory values imported from Massachusetts General showing thyroid within normal limits. No exhibit number reported.
The diagnostic manual, held up by Reddington during the cross-examination of Goodheart. No outlet read reports it being marked or given a number.
Dr. Tufts's treatment record for the defendant, September 15, 2022 to January 23, 2023, including the intake paperwork completed three days before the first appointment, the substance-use, ADHD and generalized anxiety screenings, the suicide-risk forms, the mental status examinations at each visit and the appointment durations. No exhibit number reported.
Patient portal messages between the defendant and Dr. Tufts, including the September 30, 2022 message about not being well enough to return to caring for patients and the January 11, 2023 email asking about ketamine therapy. No exhibit number reported.
The maternity leave extension paperwork Tufts completed in October 2022 and the return-to-work letter she wrote on November 22, 2022. No exhibit number reported.
The notes of the therapist the defendant began seeing at Aster on October 3, 2022, read from by Tufts. No exhibit number reported.

Rulings and objections

08:52DEFENSE MOTION ON EXPERT WITNESSES, NO RULING REPORTED. East Idaho News records the judge preparing to rule, before the jury came in, on a defense motion about expert witnesses to answer the Commonwealth's evidence on the defendant's psychiatric care and on the seriousness of her suicide attempt. ARGUED: no outlet read records what was said on either side. RULED: no outlet read records the ruling. East Idaho News is the only outlet read that mentions the motion at all.
12:16DEFENSE OBJECTION SUSTAINED DURING GOODHEART'S REDIRECT. The Commonwealth asked the witness about the themes of the group sessions the defendant attended at McLean. ARGUED: no outlet read records the stated ground. RULED: Judge Sullivan sustained the defense objection. Reported by the Boston Globe alone; the time is approximate, placed within the redirect that the Globe timestamps from about 12:14.

Procedural

09:16The lawyers and the defendant came in before the jury and Judge Sullivan called the parties to sidebar. Reported by the Boston Globe and East Idaho News; no outlet read records what was discussed.
09:19SCHEDULING FROM THE BENCH. East Idaho News records the judge telling the jury to expect a full day of testimony.
09:21Kimberlee Hardy called as the Commonwealth's first witness of the day. East Idaho News timestamps it 9:21, the Boston Globe 9:23 and Boston 25 9:24.
09:31Reddington began the cross-examination of Hardy (Boston Globe).
09:33Sarah Carney called. Boston 25 and East Idaho News timestamp it 9:33, the Boston Globe 9:35.
09:42Reddington began the cross-examination of Carney (Boston Globe).
09:43Dr. Alia Goodheart called. East Idaho News timestamps it 9:43 and the Boston Globe 9:44.
10:46Reddington began the cross-examination of Goodheart. East Idaho News timestamps it 10:46, CBS Boston puts it at about 10:45 and running roughly forty-five minutes, and the Boston Globe timestamps its first cross entry 10:53.
11:35Morning recess. The Boston Globe and Boston 25 give 11:35, East Idaho News 11:36. The recess interrupted Goodheart's cross-examination.
12:02THE HOT-MIC COMPLAINT, AND A SIDEBAR THE DEFENSE DID NOT WANT. After the recess, with the jury out and before Goodheart returned to the stand, Reddington told the court he wanted to raise an issue and resisted taking it to sidebar, saying he wanted it on the public record. Judge Sullivan's voice rose; he said he needed to know what was going to be said and that there were privileged issues involved. Reddington then said in open court that prosecutors had been picked up on a hot microphone during Thursday's autopsy testimony saying words to the effect of shut her up, as the defendant was wheeled sobbing from the courtroom. boston.com records ADA Jennifer Sprague appearing baffled and mouthing a question to ADA Shanan Buckingham. The parties went to sidebar and the substance was not heard in open court. The Boston Globe attributes to Judge Sullivan, and CBS Boston to Reddington, the remark that this is not The Handmaid's Tale and nobody is going to tape her mouth shut; see the hot-mic-comment entry in the evidence file. The Boston Globe timestamps the exchange 12:02 and boston.com 12:05; Boston 25 posted its account in the afternoon.
12:11Jury back in and Goodheart resumed the stand (Boston Globe).
12:14The Commonwealth's redirect examination of Goodheart began. The Boston Globe timestamps it 12:14 and Boston 25 12:20.
12:22Goodheart stepped down. Boston 25 gives 12:22 and CBS Boston puts it just before 12:30.
12:25Dr. Jennifer Tufts called. Boston 25's first entry from her testimony is timestamped 12:26 and the Boston Globe's 12:29; East Idaho News says court resumed at 12:10 with Tufts on direct, which does not fit the other three accounts of the midday sequence.
12:59Lunch recess, to resume at 2 p.m. The Boston Globe gives 12:59 and Boston 25 and boston.com 1 p.m. Tufts's direct examination had begun before the break and continued after it.
13:01THE WARNING FROM THE BENCH, JURY ABSENT. With the jury gone for lunch, Judge Sullivan told the courtroom there were to be no inappropriate or disruptive comments made inside it; that there are microphones all around; that anyone found making such a comment, or reported to him for making one, would be immediately escorted out and barred for the balance of the trial; and that there would be no warnings and no yellow cards. Reported by boston.com, the Boston Globe, CBS Boston, Boston 25 and WJAR. No outlet read reports him making any finding about whether the comment was made or by whom.
14:10Court resumed after lunch and Tufts's direct examination continued. East Idaho News timestamps the resumption 14:10 and the Boston Globe's first afternoon entry is 14:17.
~14:44OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM. Beth Stone, spokesperson for Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, told reporters the office had pulled the video and that what was said was shut it off, meaning the screen showing the autopsy photographs, and not shut her up. boston.com reports the office first attributing the remark to one of its prosecutors and then correcting that to an unidentified person in the courtroom; CBS Boston records the same sequence, giving the correction as an unknown court employee rather than a prosecutor. The time is Boston 25's posting time for the statement, not a courtroom event.
15:45END OF THE WEEK. Sprague finished her direct examination of Tufts, the parties went to sidebar, and Judge Sullivan excused the jury for the weekend, telling them to keep an open mind. The Boston Globe puts the dismissal at about 3:45, East Idaho News at 3:48 and Boston 25 at 3:46. Testimony was to resume Monday at 9 a.m. with the defense cross-examination of Tufts; CBS Boston and East Idaho News both record the Monday 9 a.m. start.

Sourcesglobe-day-09 globe-day-09-filed globe-hot-mic boston-0807 boston-0807-hotmic cbs-day-09 b25-day-09 b25-day-09-filed eastidaho-day-09 turnto10-day-09 wbur-day-09 abc-day-09

◀ August 6, 2026 Open in the index August 10, 2026 ▶