Photo via New York Post

Patrick Clancy said ex-wife Lindsay never asked for forgiveness for killing their 3 kids — but he ‘gave it to her’ anyway

Read the original at New York Post ↗
Cite

Hussain, Z. (2026, September 21). Patrick Clancy said ex-wife Lindsay never asked for forgiveness for killing their 3 kids — but he ‘gave it to her’ anyway. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/20/us-news/patrick-clancy-said-ex-wife-lindsay-never-asked-for-forgiveness-for-killing-their-3-kids-but-he-gave-it-to-her-anyway/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-21 · by Zoe Hussain
Content note This article describes suicide or self-harm and abuse of a child.

Quick Summary

During a recent interview with CBS correspondent Ross Douthat, Patrick Clancy revealed that despite his ex-wife Lindsay not asking for forgiveness after she killed their three children in January 2023, he felt compelled to forgive her. The killings took place in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where Lindsay strangled the couple’s children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—with exercise bands before attempting suicide. Patrick explained his decision to forgive was driven by a belief that mental illness caused Lindsay's actions and out of fear that not forgiving would consume him internally.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Patrick Clancy, former delivery nurse from Duxbury, Mass., gave his first interview since his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, was declared mistrial for killing their three children – Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (8 months) – in January 2023. In the interview with CBS's Ross Douthat, Patrick revealed he speaks to his deceased kids "all the time," asking them for help. The mistrial resulted from a hung jury after an 11-1 deadlock.

Lindsay Clancy’s defense team argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and could not be held criminally responsible. Her ex-husband, who remarried fertility doctor Rachel Danis in April, now lives in New York City and faces ongoing attacks on social media accusing him of involvement in the murders.

Patrick and his new wife will appear together on 60 Minutes Sunday, discussing grief, mental health, and addressing conspiracy theories that have circulated online.

Written for “Patrick Clancy 60 Minutes Interview” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 42 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Patrick Clancy 60 Minutes Interview
Entertainment · 43 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News
Hedges 5 of 40 claims Outlet record 68/100
BBC News
Hedges 2 of 4 claims Outlet record 68/100
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 61/100
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 22 claims Outlet record 60/100
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 25 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different parts of a broader narrative around Patrick Clancy's response to his ex-wife Lindsay killing their children. One focuses on his belief that he did all he could, while the other centers on his act of forgiving her despite her lack of remorse.”
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Patrick Clancy's reaction to his ex-wife Lindsay Clancy killing their children, they describe different aspects and details of Clancy's statements in interviews. ARTICLE A focuses on Clancy living with the outcome and believing he did the best he could, whereas ARTICLE B centers around Clancy forgiving his wife despite her not asking for it.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Patrick Clancy's interview but describe distinct moments or content within it rather than the same specific incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different interviews: Article A mentions an upcoming '60 Minutes' interview where Patrick Clancy's new wife will join him, while Article B describes a past interview that has already aired.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
29
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
2 of 29 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
43
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15921 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Zoe Hussain
86 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I would strongly advise anyone else thinking of posting a “joke” along these lines to think twice,” Chitwood wrote on social media.
🔮 The claims involving the damaged tankers could not be verified.
🔮 “May this humanitarian mission end the suffering and begin a new chapter of durable peace between Russia and Ukraine,” she wrote on X on Thursday, before the crucial evacuation operation was under way.
🔮 The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide further updates, the FAA said.
2026-10-30 · mixed framing · Two helicopters collide near Oregon airport
🔮 “There has to be actual prejudice,” responded Assistant Attorney General Kaitlin Vigars regarding what would warrant her disqualification from the investigation. “You would agree with me,” the judge said, “that it’s not proper for a prosecutor to make those statements?”
🔮 Arab parties, which are projected to have won about 19 of the 120 seats in Israel’s parliament following Tuesday’s vote, strongly denied fraud allegations.
🔮 Last Ditch Bar in Greenfield announced on Instagram Monday that it will shut down “effective immediately” except for already booked events, and fully close by winter.
🔮 “The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect.
🔮 Gilder was stopped on Interstate 10 and charged with resisting arrest — but not theft, because the stolen earrings couldn’t be found.
🔮 Unlikely duo Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul joined forces at a Brooklyn campaign rally on Sunday to bash President Trump and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.
Also by Zoe Hussain
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 86 articles by Zoe Hussain →

Topics

CBS Duxbury Massachusetts McLean Psychiatric Hospital

Subjects

Patrick Clancy PERSON · 8× Douthat PERSON · 4× Lindsay Clancy’s PERSON · 3× Callan PERSON · 2× Lindsay Clancy PERSON · 2× CBS ORG · 1× Cora PERSON · 1× Dawson PERSON · 1× Duxbury GPE · 1× Ross Douthat PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Here’s the latest on Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial Seventeen days after she checked herself into another hospital, McLean Psychiatric Hospital, Lindsay Clancy attacked and killed her three kids, slit her throat and wrists, and jumped out a second-story window of their home.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 “And I think when it comes to forgiveness, I also felt that if I didn’t get there, I would be eaten up inside forever,” the grieving dad said.

Claims (29 extracted, 2 hedged)

“Has she ever asked for your forgiveness?” CBS correspondent Ross Douthat asked Patrick Clancy Sunday during his first sit-down interview since her mistrial earlier this month. asserted
Douthat → ask → mistrial
But I gave it to her,” Patrick Clancy responded. asserted
Clancy → give → her
Lindsay Clancy strangled the couple’s three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan, with exercise bands in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023 before attempting suicide. asserted
Clancy → strangle → suicide
To the public’s shock, Patrick Clancy almost immediately shared that he forgave his wife for killing their sons and daughter. asserted
he → share → sons
“I saw headlines that said, you know, ‘Killer Mom,’ and ‘Baby Murderer,’ ‘Monster.’ asserted
you → see → Mom
And none of ’em were accurate — I believe that it was her mental illness that caused that. asserted
that → believe → that
So I shared those words,” he recalled. asserted
he → share → words
“And I think when it comes to forgiveness, I also felt that if I didn’t get there, I would be eaten up inside forever,” the grieving dad said. asserted
dad → think → forgiveness
Patrick Clancy described watching Lindsay Clancy’s mental state quickly deteriorate starting in fall of 2022, while baby Callan was 5 months old. asserted
Callan → describe → 2022
“It was October and — she went a few nights without sleeping,” he told Douthat. asserted
he → go → Douthat
Lindsay Clancy’s mental health soon spiraled, leading to repeated emergency room visits and admitting herself into a program for postpartum depression. asserted
health → spiral → depression
Despite being prescribed a slew of prescription drugs, she continued to get worse. asserted
she → prescribe → drugs
“I think December. asserted
I → think → ?
December was — it was a big struggle for her — just a huge lack of sleep, deep, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, and — at the end of that month she went to the hospital,” Patrick Clancy said of his then wife’s lowest point. asserted
Clancy → go → point
“I didn’t know how to manage a postpartum illness. asserted
I → know → illness
I think mental illness has this ability to be tragically deceptive. asserted
illness → think → ability
So I’m– I’m sure there are things that I didn’t see,” Patrick Clancy told Douthat when asked if he knew anything about postpartum mental illness before his ex-wife began struggling. asserted
wife → ’m → illness
Here’s the latest on Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial Seventeen days after she checked herself into another hospital, McLean Psychiatric Hospital, Lindsay Clancy attacked and killed her three kids, slit her throat and wrists, and jumped out a second-story window of their home. asserted
Clancy → ’ → home
The grieving father hauntingly recalled finding her partially paralyzed in the backyard of their home after the botched suicide attempt during his trial testimony in July. asserted
her → grieve → July
During his second day on the witness stand — when the 911 call was played of him discovering his three children in the basement that night — Patrick Clancy told Douthat that he had a “massive traumatic panic attack” that sent him into an ambulance. asserted
that → play → ambulance
“We did take a break right before they played the 911 call, which I knew was gonna be just horrific. asserted
I → take → call
And I went to a back room, and I started having this massive traumatic panic attack,” Patrick Clancy said. asserted
Clancy → go → attack
“My heart was pounding. asserted
heart → pound → ?
And they put me in an ambulance, they offered me some medication, but I said, ‘I– I don’t want it, ’cause I want to go back and I want to finish this so I can be done with this.’ asserted
I → put → this
And I went back and I finished the testimony.” asserted
I → go → testimony
He told Douthat he felt he “did the best” he could to help his then wife through her postpartum mental health crisis leading up to the shock murders. uncertain
he → tell → murders
“I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time. uncertain
I → think → time
And I live with the outcome. asserted
I → live → outcome
I live with it every day,” he said asserted
he → live → it
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support