Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband interviewed after murder mistrial

Patrick Clancy, the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, has given an interview with US current affairs program 60 Minutes. 

It's his first public interview since a mistrial was declared in his former wife's highly-publicised murder proceedings.

Here's a recap of what he told the US broadcaster. 

Warning: This story contains details of a crime that may be distressing for some readers.

Who is Lindsay Clancy? 

Lindsay Clancy was charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of her three children Cora, Dawson and Callan on January 24, 2023.

Mr Clancy returned to the family's home to find his then-wife lying paralysed in their in their yard after trying to take her own life by jumping from a second-storey window.

He then discovered their pair's three children strangled in the basement. 

Cora and Dawson were dead, while Callan was critically injured. 

The eight-month-old died in hospital four days later. 

Ms Clancy did not deny killing her children.

But her defence team argued she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis after giving birth to Callan and should not be held criminally responsible for the children's deaths.

Her trial captured global attention, sparking intense debate and speculation on social media, with some turning a accusatory gaze on Mr Clancy. 

Mr Clancy's appearance on 60 Minutes comes after Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial when a jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision on his ex-wife's guilt. 

Lindsay's recollections of the killings

CBS reporter Ross Douthat asked Mr Clancy if his wife explained why she killed her children. 

He replied by saying he asked Ms Clancy if she remembered it:

"She said it was like a dream. 

"She remembered it in much the way you would remember a dream after waking up."

'Are you angry at yourself?'

Mr Clancy said he did not know anything about postpartum mental illness before his experiences with his former wife. 

"I could piece together what it was like to be really, really anxious or depressed, but I didn't know how to manage a postpartum illness. 

"I think mental illness has this ability to be tragically deceptive. 

"I'm sure there are things that I didn't see."

In a clip of the interview posted to social media, Mr Clancy was asked if he felt like he failed.

He said he thought he did the best he could with what he knew at the time. 

Thoughts of self harm

Mr Clancy said "everything just came to a screeching halt" in the wake of the killings. 

Douthat asked if he had experienced suicidal thoughts during that time. 

"There was a time where I didn't think I would live to see my 35th birthday. 

"And I was completely fine with it."

Patrick's courthouse panic attack

Mr Clancy was criticised by some on social media for appearing stiff and stoic when testifying in the trial. 

He told CBS the experience was "very difficult", particularly on his second day of giving evidence. 

Mr Clancy spoke about a tense time during a break in proceedings, just before the court heard the recording of his call to emergency services after discovering his children's bodies. 

He said he went into a back room in the courthouse and had a "massive traumatic panic attack".

Mr Clancy said he was put in an ambulance and offered medication, but he declined because he wanted to finish his testimony. 

'Deeply harmful' murder conspiracies

As Lindsay Clancy's trial unfolded, conspiracy theories circulated on social media, with some accusing Patrick Clancy of killing the children and framing his wife without evidence.  

Ms Clancy rejected this theory, with her lawyer Kevin Reddington telling US broadcaster NBC campaign against Mr Clancy was a "nightmare that he doesn’t deserve". 

Mr Clancy's lawyers called the theories "outright falsehoods" and said they would be pursuing legal action. 

Douthat asked Mr Clancy was it was like to be on the end of those accusations.

Here's what Mr Clancy had to say:

"It's deeply harmful to the legacy of my children. 

"It is a huge distraction from what really matters here, which is perinatal mental health. 

"And it's done real harm to real people, myself included, but also others."

On meeting his new wife

Mr Clancy was joined on the program by his new wife, Rachel Danis. 

Dr Danis said the pair met at a run club in New York in January, 2024. 

"My life has changed since I met Rachel, in such a positive way," Mr Clancy said. 

The pair married in April this year and told the broadcaster they were planning on starting a family. 

Dr Danis said she hoped to help Mr Clancy with his grief and described him as a supportive partner. 

On forgiving Lindsay

Douthat asked Mr Clancy if his former wife asked him for forgiveness for killing their children. 

"No. 

"But I gave it to her."

He told the broadcaster he would be "eaten up inside forever" if he didn't forgive her. 

Mr Clancy mentioned headlines that called her a "monster" and a "killer mom". 

"None of them were accurate," he said. 

"I believe that it was her mental illness that caused that."

What happens to Lindsay Clancy now?

It is yet to be decided whether Ms Clancy will face a new trial.

The matter will return to court on September 29, where the prosecution and defence will be able to request a retrial or for the case to be dismissed.

In the meantime Ms Clancy is being held in the Tewkesbury Hospital, which is a state psychiatric facility in Massachusetts.