Patrick Clancy says he suffered a panic attack and ended up in an ambulance during testimony at ex-wife Lindsay's murder trial

Patrick Clancy has revealed that he became suicidal in the aftermath of his children's deaths during his first interview since his ex-wife Lindsay Clancy’s case ended in a controversial mistrial.

Patrick sat down with 60 Minutes to share his heartbreak after Clancy strangled their children Cora, five, Dawson, three and Callan, eight months old, and tried to kill herself back in January 2023.

For the father-of-three, who found his children's bodies in the basement of their suburban home, his life suddenly had 'no purpose.'

'There was no family routine, no bedtime stories, no purpose. Everything just came to a screeching halt,' he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

'And then there was a day where, really without thinking, I drove by their school, and it was at the exact time that all of their friends were getting dropped off, and I just couldn't be there anymore.'

The grief-stricken father, 38, revealed that he began to suffer from suicidal thoughts and didn't care if he didn't make it to his next birthday. 

'There was a time where I didn't think I would live to see my 35th birthday, and I was completely fine with it,' he said.

During the emotional sit-down interview, Patrick opened up about the toll that Clancy's trial took on him - while also sharing his future plans to start a family with his new wife Dr Rachel Danis.

In a case closely-watched all across the nation, Clancy went on trial in July charged three counts of first-degree murder.

The 36-year-old labor and delivery nurse, had sent Patrick out of their home in the wealthy suburb of Duxbury, Massachusetts, to pick up medicine from CVS and a takeout order from a local restaurant on the evening of January 24, 2023.

While he was gone, she strangled the children with exercise bands in the basement.

Patrick Clancy sat down with 60 Minutes in his first interview since Lindsay Clancy’s case ended in a controversial mistrial

Patrick Clancy with his children Cora, Dawson, and baby Callan before the January 2023 killings

She then tried to kill herself, cutting her wrists and neck and jumping from the second-floor bedroom window. Clancy survived but was left paralyzed from the waist down.

The mom-of-three did not deny killing her children but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, saying she was suffering from severe postpartum depression and psychosis at the time.

Her six-week trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, sparked a national conversation about postpartum mental illness and criminal responsibility - quickly capturing attention all across the globe.

Ultimately, after seven days of deliberations, a mistrial was declared after the 12 jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

In an unprecedented move, it emerged during deliberations that a lone male holdout - since identified as Michael P Desronvil - was refusing to join the other 11 in finding her not guilty by reason of insanity.

Several jurors have since spoken out to accuse him of showing reasonable doubt but refusing to apply it to the law. Desronvil has hired an attorney and released a statement pushing back on their claims, saying he believed Clancy ‘knew exactly what she was doing.’

Speaking to 60 Minutes, Patrick recalled noticing a big change in Clancy's mental health around fall 2022.

'She went a few nights without sleeping,’ he said.

‘She came downstairs one morning and she said, “I didn't sleep at all last night."'

At the time, Patrick said he didn't know anything about postpartum mental illness. He now realizes there are 'things that I didn't see.'

When asked if he was angry with himself or felt like he had failed in some way, Patrick told correspondent Ross Douthat: ‘I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time, and I live with the outcome. I live with it every day, but I think I did the best I could.’

Patrick testified at Clancy’s trial how she had asked him to go to collect a takeout order and medicine for Cora on the evening of January 24, 2023.

READ MORE: LINDSAY CLANCY COVERAGE

Lindsay Clancy stood trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for the January 2023 killings of her children

He returned home to find the house ‘really quiet’ before discovering his wife lying injured in the back yard.

In one of the most harrowing moments of the trial, jurors heard Patrick’s gut-wrenching 911 call.

The panicked father-of-three had waited with his wife until first responders arrived, not knowing that their three children were dead inside their home.

The call then captured the moment that Patrick went to check on their children - finding the bodies of Cora, Dawson and Callan in the basement.

Patrick’s primal, unearthly screams could be heard in the call before he cried out: 'She killed the kids!'

The call has not been publicly released with only the jurors and a small handful of members of the public and reporters inside the courtroom that day, including the Daily Mail, hearing it.

Patrick was one of the key trial witnesses, describing both that devastating day and the moment days later when Clancy first claimed she had heard a voice telling her to kill the children and herself.

This formed a crucial part of Clancy’s defense that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and had acted on the command hallucination.

Throughout his courtroom testimony, Patrick appeared to struggle to contain his emotions, trembling at points and taking deep breaths as he relived the painful memories.

Despite killing their children, Patrick supported Clancy both in a public statement immediately after their deaths and years later at her trial.

He testified that Clancy was a 'very dedicated mother' who loved the children 'very much’ but whose mental health had deteriorated drastically in the months leading up to the killings.

Patrick Clancy was a key witness in Clancy's trial, testifying about the day of the killings and her spiraling mental health in the months leading up to it 

Patrick and Dr Rachel Danis married in April in Central Park. They were pictured walking through New York City in early September

As her mental health spiraled, she repeatedly sought psychiatric help and was given more and more medications, he testified.

Despite his unwavering support - and belief that the family was failed by Clancy’s medical providers - Patrick had not seen his now ex-wife in the three and a half years since their children’s deaths.

The moment he took the stand at her murder trial marked the first time they had come face-to-face since that tragic day.

After the killings, Patrick filed for divorce, sold the family’s home and, in May 2023, moved to New York City.

The Daily Mail exclusively revealed in July that the 38-year-old tech executive later found love and remarried fertility specialist Dr Rachel Danis.

The couple wed this April in an intimate ceremony at the historic Ladies Pavilion overlooking Central Park's lake before celebrating with family and friends at Sarabeth's restaurant.

A longtime friend of Rachel's family previously told the Daily Mail that, as a reproductive expert, Patrick’s new wife understood the issues that underpin the family tragedy.

In the 60 Minutes interview, Rachel revealed that the couple met while running in Central Park as she described Patrick as the ‘most selfless father and supportive partner.’

‘I don’t understand how the story has been so twisted. I was just a girl that met a guy running in Central Park on a really cold Saturday. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,’ she said.

Prior to the televised sitdown on CBS News, Patrick had given only one media interview to The New Yorker in 2024. In it he defended Clancy: 'I wasn't married to a monster - I was married to someone who got sick.'

But despite maintaining a low profile amid the tragedy, the griefstricken father fell victim to vile, baseless accusations and rumors.

As Clancy’s trial drew attention all across the globe - with postpartum mental illness taking center stage and pink-clad supporters staging rallies outside the courthouse - with it came a groundswell of online conspiracies.

Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan were strangled at the family home in January 2023

Patrick’s testimony was picked apart online with some going as far as to accuse him of possible involvement in his children’s deaths.

The 38-year-old’s attorney has since issued a warning to conspiracy theorists that ‘this spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop’ or ‘there will be consequences.’

While Patrick tries to rebuild his life, Clancy’s criminal case now hangs in the balance after the mistrial was declared earlier this month.

Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz is yet to reveal whether or not his office plans to try her a second time - and whether on the same or lesser charges.

Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington has filed a motion asking the court to acquit her on all charges, arguing that the state did not present enough evidence in its case and so should not be able to retry it.

The motion will be argued when the two sides return to Plymouth County Superior Court for a hearing on September 29.