1.Stephen Hall — Direct
338 linesTHE COURT: Good morning, counsel.
MR. REDDINGTON: Good morning.
MS. SPRAGUE: Good morning.
THE COURT: All right. Good morning, Ms. Clancy.
MS. CLANCY: Good morning.
THE COURT: Are we ready for the jury?
MS. SPRAGUE: Yes.
THE COURT: Okay.
BAILIFF: Court, all rise. Jury's in.
BAILIFF: Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. All persons having anything to do before the Honorable William Sullivan, Justice of the Superior Court now sitting in Plymouth within the Commonwealth, draw near, give your attendance and you shall be heard. God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This court is now in session. Please be seated.
COURT CLERK: Good morning, Your Honor. May I proceed?
THE COURT: Yes, please.
COURT CLERK: Your Honor, before the court today we have a continuation of the jury trial in the matter of Commonwealth versus Lindsay Clancy. Ms. Clancy is present. She is represented by Attorney Kevin Reddington. The Commonwealth is represented by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague and Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham.
THE COURT: All right. Well, good morning, everyone.
JURORS: Good morning.
THE COURT: I hope everybody had a nice, restful evening last night. Thank you for your patience with us. What I'm gonna do is just I'm gonna ask you those questions, make sure everybody was able to follow my instructions, then I go over briefly our schedule for today and the schedule for tomorrow. All right. So, the first—let me get to those questions. The first question is, any member of the jury read, seen, or heard anything from any source that would affect your ability to be fair and impartial in this case?
JURORS: No.
THE COURT: All right. Next question, is there any other serious matter of concern bearing on your service as a juror in this case that anybody needs to bring my attention at this time?
JURORS: No.
THE COURT: All right. Good. Thank you for following those instructions. Now, in regards to our schedule today, the anticipated, as you know, in these cases sometimes the best laid plans, but it's anticipated that we'll go this morning till about eleven o'clock. We'll take a break at eleven. We'll come back. We'll take our afternoon break at one o'clock, and we'll go into the afternoon, probably, you know, somewhere between three and four. All right, so that's today's schedule.
THE COURT: Tomorrow's schedule, as best we can tell, we're gonna do that view sometime probably in the morning. We're gonna go to a couple of spots that have been mentioned in the testimony. Like I said, we'll go over a little bit more tomorrow, but you'll be getting out of a—we're all going together in a bus, with the court officers, the staff, the attorneys, myself, and we're gonna get out of the bus. So, you know, that's just a word for the wise for footwear and to double-check the weather. I'll go into that a little bit more probably by the end of the day. But just in case I forget, I just—that's what we're gonna do. And then the thought would be after that, we'll come back.
THE COURT: We'll probably go again till sometime around in between three and four. Okay, so that's the schedule. And then, at the end of the day tomorrow, I'll address kinda where we are in regards to the timeline and the kinda overall schedule, just so you have some kinda idea where we are. All right, so with that, we're gonna return to the case on trial. Commonwealth is presenting its evidence. Attorney Sprague.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you, Your Honor. Commonwealth calls Officer Stephen Hall.
THE COURT: Good morning.
STEPHEN HALL: Good morning.
THE COURT: Step right here. Raise your right hand for the clerk, please.
COURT CLERK: Good morning. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony and the evidence you shall give to the court and the jury in the matter now pending between the Commonwealth and the defendant at the bar shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
STEPHEN HALL: I do.
COURT CLERK: Thank you.
THE COURT: Please be seated.
STEPHEN HALL: Thank you.
THE COURT: All right. Good morning.
STEPHEN HALL: Morning.
THE COURT: All right. So I'm gonna ask, keep your voice up so the jury can hear you.
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
THE COURT: And with that, Attorney Sprague.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you, Your Honor. Good morning. Could you please state and spell your name for the record?
STEPHEN HALL: My name is Stephen Hall. S-T-E-P-H-E-N H-A-L-L.
MS. SPRAGUE: And your date of birth?
STEPHEN HALL: 3/26/1983.
MS. SPRAGUE: Where do you work?
STEPHEN HALL: I work at the Duxbury Police Department.
MS. SPRAGUE: How long have you been a Duxbury police officer?
STEPHEN HALL: Since 2015, so roughly eleven years.
MS. SPRAGUE: I wanna direct your attention to January 24th, 2023. Were you working that day?
STEPHEN HALL: I was.
MS. SPRAGUE: What shift were you working?
STEPHEN HALL: The four to midnight.
MS. SPRAGUE: And would that be four PM to midnight?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And were you in uniform?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Were you in a marked cruiser?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And were you on patrol?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And being on patrol, were you alone or with a partner?
STEPHEN HALL: I was alone.
MS. SPRAGUE: Further directing your attention to approximately 6:11 PM, at that time, did you receive a dispatch to go to 47 Summer Street in Duxbury?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you recall approximately where you were when you received that dispatch?
STEPHEN HALL: I was at the Lincoln Street Fields in Duxbury.
MS. SPRAGUE: And so how long did it take you to get from there to 47 Summer Street?
STEPHEN HALL: 7 to 10 minutes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you go to 47 Summer Street?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you see when you arrived there?
STEPHEN HALL: When I arrived, it was just a house. There was a gate open on the left side of the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: Let me show you a few exhibits that have already been marked. Exhibit 32.
MS. SPRAGUE: And exhibit 33. Is this the house you responded to?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes. Mm-hmm.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm showing you exhibit 34. Is that the left side of the house?
STEPHEN HALL: It is.
MS. SPRAGUE: And exhibit 35. Is the gate that you went in depicted in this exhibit?
STEPHEN HALL: It is.
MS. SPRAGUE: First officer on scene?
STEPHEN HALL: I arrived simultaneously with Officer Josephine.
MS. SPRAGUE: And he, is he also an officer with Duxbury Police?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And so did you both head to that same direction, or did you go in different directions?
STEPHEN HALL: We both went to the backyard as we were dispatched to.
MS. SPRAGUE: And you said you went to the left, correct?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes. We heard a male voice calling for us on the left side, so...
MS. SPRAGUE: And that's where you headed?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And did you encounter a male in the backyard?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you later learn his name was Patrick Clancy?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: What was his demeanor?
STEPHEN HALL: He was upset. You know, didn't know what was going on, so...
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you see anyone else in the backyard?
STEPHEN HALL: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. Did you see anyone on the ground?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And who was on the ground?
STEPHEN HALL: Ms. Clancy.
MS. SPRAGUE: Is that Lindsay Clancy?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you see her in the courtroom today?
STEPHEN HALL: I do.
MS. SPRAGUE: Could you point to her?
MR. REDDINGTON: No, no issue with ID, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Record may reflect the witness has identified the defendant.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you. Where was she positioned?
STEPHEN HALL: She was on the ground on, if you were looking at the backyard, on the right side.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm showing you what's been previously marked as exhibit 38. Is this the back of the house?
STEPHEN HALL: It is.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm showing you what's been marked as exhibit 37. Do you see the area where the defendant was when you entered the backyard?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you mind standing up with the court's permission and just pointing that out to the jurors?
STEPHEN HALL: It's in this area.
MS. SPRAGUE: If the record could reflect he's pointing near the window well to the far right side of the back of the house.
THE COURT: Record may reflect that.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you saw her in that location, do you remember where her head was?
STEPHEN HALL: Her head was towards the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: And where were her feet?
STEPHEN HALL: Pointing out away from the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: Are you trained in first aid as part of your job?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you carry equipment with you in case you have to provide first aid to someone?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you saw the defendant on the ground, did you go to her and observe any injuries?
STEPHEN HALL: She had cuts to both wrists and to the left side of her neck.
MS. SPRAGUE: The cuts to her wrists, were those actively bleeding when you saw them?
STEPHEN HALL: No, they were not.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you saw the cuts to her neck, were those actively bleeding?
STEPHEN HALL: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you, based on your training and experience, feel the need to provide any medical care to those cuts or use any of the equipment you had to tend to those cuts?
STEPHEN HALL: Not at that time.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was she conscious?
STEPHEN HALL: Semi-conscious. She was in and out of consciousness.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what was she doing that gave you that indication?
STEPHEN HALL: She would wake up and move around and then kinda just go still again.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you say she would move around, what parts of her body was she moving?
STEPHEN HALL: Just her head, really.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was she able to speak to you?
STEPHEN HALL: She wasn't, no.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was she making any sounds?
STEPHEN HALL: She was just, like it sounded like, you know, she was in pain.
MS. SPRAGUE: So something like moaning or something like that?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you and Officer Josephine are there, do other first responders such as firefighters start to arrive?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes, they started to arrive, and I went to the, to gate to direct them where to go.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how did you know they had arrived?
STEPHEN HALL: You could hear the sirens.
MS. SPRAGUE: So you heard the sirens and went to the gate to tell them to come to that side?
STEPHEN HALL: Correct.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you were doing this, did Patrick Clancy stay with you?
STEPHEN HALL: He, at one point, he went inside to say he was going to check on his children.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you see what entrance he used to go into the house?
STEPHEN HALL: He went towards the back slider.
MS. SPRAGUE: Shortly after Patrick Clancy went inside the home, did you receive a call on your radio?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you hear on your radio?
STEPHEN HALL: Dispatch said that he couldn't wake them up.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you know what they were talking about when you heard, initially heard that?
STEPHEN HALL: Not really, no.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did something then catch your attention?
STEPHEN HALL: Yeah, I heard a loud scream from inside.
MS. SPRAGUE: And could you tell where it was coming from?
STEPHEN HALL: No, just inside the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: And the screaming, was it words or just sound?
STEPHEN HALL: It was just a sound.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you heard that screaming, what did you do?
STEPHEN HALL: Myself and Officer Josephine ran towards the slider and entered into the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you entered into the house, do you remember what room you entered into?
STEPHEN HALL: Into a kitchen.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you entered into the kitchen, could you still hear that screaming?
STEPHEN HALL: No. We could hear he was talking, but the screaming was done.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you said he was talking, who was talking?
STEPHEN HALL: Patrick Clancy.
MS. SPRAGUE: So you could hear Patrick Clancy talking at that time?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And could you tell where he was?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes, he was in the basement.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you head to the basement stairs?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Showing you what's been marked as Exhibit 41, are these the stairs that you went to?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you go to the bottom of the stairs?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: Once you got to the bottom of the stairs, is it accurate that you either have to go right or left?
STEPHEN HALL: Correct.
MS. SPRAGUE: Which direction did you go?
STEPHEN HALL: We heard Patrick Clancy talking from the right, so we went in that direction.
MS. SPRAGUE: Could you hear what he was saying?
STEPHEN HALL: Oh, God.
STEPHEN HALL: Can I... Do you mind if I?
MS. SPRAGUE: You don't recall?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: I have no objection, Your Honor.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you recall him saying, "I can't wake them up. I can't get them up"?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you remember his demeanor as he was saying that?
STEPHEN HALL: He seemed very upset.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you do in response to that?
STEPHEN HALL: He came from a back room, so we ran into that back room.
MS. SPRAGUE: Just going back to when you came down the stairs and turned to the right, do you recall what type of room that was when you went to the right?
STEPHEN HALL: It looks like a workout room, like a workout area.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm gonna show you a few pictures here. If you could just look at them and tell me if you recognize what they depict.
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you recognize these to be photographs of that workout room that you entered into when you went to the right?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: We could have these marked as the next few exhibits.
MR. REDDINGTON: No objection.
THE COURT: Those may be admitted.
MS. SPRAGUE: Four exhibits.
COURT REPORTER: Exhibits 89 through 92.
MS. SPRAGUE: Sir, I'm showing you Exhibit 89. Is that the view when you first come down the stairs and turn to the right?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then showing you Exhibit 90. Are those exercise bands there tied to the closet door?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: 91, just a close-up of that, correct?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Then 92, what are we seeing in this photograph, sir?
STEPHEN HALL: That was the back room that he was, seemed to be coming from.
MS. SPRAGUE: That Patrick was coming from?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And you also looked at two photographs from that room. Are those fair and accurate depictions of how the room looked that day?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: If we could have these marked as the next two exhibits, please.
MR. REDDINGTON: No objection.
THE COURT: They may be admitted.
COURT REPORTER: Exhibit 93 and 94.
MS. SPRAGUE: Sir, did you head to that back room?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you see when you got to that back room?
STEPHEN HALL: Just past the door on the left side, there was a body of a young child.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you remember what position the child was in?
STEPHEN HALL: He had his feet towards the door and his head towards the wall.
MS. SPRAGUE: And was he on his back or his stomach or—
STEPHEN HALL: He was on his back.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you recall what he was wearing?
STEPHEN HALL: He was shirtless. I believe he was just in a diaper or underwear of some sort.
MS. SPRAGUE: And showing you—
STEPHEN HALL: Thank you.
MS. SPRAGUE: Exhibit 93, if you wouldn't mind just pointing out where you saw his body.
STEPHEN HALL: Just in this area.
MS. SPRAGUE: Record will reflect he's pointing to the area of the yellow exercise band.
THE COURT: It may reflect that.
MS. SPRAGUE: And sir, that yellow exercise band, did you see that in that position when you saw the body of the child on the floor?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Exhibit 94, close-up of that position.
MS. SPRAGUE: Sir, did you later learn that child's name was Dawson Clancy?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: And can you describe his physical appearance when you saw him?
STEPHEN HALL: He was discolored, like a bluish purple.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you remember what his face and neck looked like?
STEPHEN HALL: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: What happened next?
STEPHEN HALL: I called for paramedics to come to the basement. I also called for a supervisor, and Officer Josephine picked up the child, and we ran him outside through the front door to the ambulance.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you do anything after that, after giving Dawson to EMTs?
STEPHEN HALL: We ran back down into the basement to check to see if we could find other children.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what made you think there were other children to find?
STEPHEN HALL: When Patrick Clancy said, "Well, I can't wake them up," instead of just a singular.
MS. SPRAGUE: And so when you went back inside, did you go back down the basement stairs?
STEPHEN HALL: Correct.
MS. SPRAGUE: And this time, did you go to the left?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Sir, showing you a series of photographs. If you could just tell me if they clearly and accurately reflect how the left side of the basement looked on January 24th, 2023 when you went in there.
MR. REDDINGTON: Your Honor, just for the record, they don't need to lay a foundation. I agree to the photographs. No objection to any of them—
THE COURT: Okay.
MR. REDDINGTON: So we don't have to go through all the foundations.
THE COURT: All right. Thank you.
MR. REDDINGTON: All right.
MS. SPRAGUE: Could I have those marked as the next exhibit, please?
COURT REPORTER: Exhibits 95 through 102. So marked.
THE COURT: Thank you.
MS. SPRAGUE: Sure. Sir, showing you what's been marked as exhibit 95, is this what you saw when you went down the stairs and went to the left, that first view?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then showing you exhibit 96, is that a further view in, as you go into the room?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Now, when you went into that room, what did you see?
STEPHEN HALL: There were two children on the floor, motionless, and EMTs were, and paramedics were working on them.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you later learn that those children were Cora Clancy and Callan Clancy?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you do anything to assist the medics at that time?
STEPHEN HALL: I... Excuse me. I asked if they needed any equipment.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did they ask you to get some equipment?
STEPHEN HALL: They asked me to grab a heart monitor.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you do that?
STEPHEN HALL: I went and found the fire captain to ask where I could grab one, and he was pretty upset. So I ended up going back downstairs—
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay.
STEPHEN HALL: Into the basement.
MS. SPRAGUE: At some point in time... Well, actually...
MS. SPRAGUE: If I could show you exhibit 96 again and just ask if you could just point to us where you saw each child.
STEPHEN HALL: Okay.
STEPHEN HALL: Here, and there was one over in that area.
MS. SPRAGUE: So for the record, the first area you pointed to was in between the blood stain and the black exercise band. Is that correct?
STEPHEN HALL: Correct.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then the second area was over toward, in front of that small nightstand or some type of shelving unit.
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: At some point in time, did you go back outside?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes. They stated they need an officer with Lindsay Clancy.
MS. SPRAGUE: And I'm gonna show you a photo here, outside near that window well that's towards the right of the house. Is that where Lindsay Clancy was, where that medical debris is?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And just showing you another photograph, is that just showing further to the right and a broader area of that same scene?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: If I could have the close-up marked as the next exhibit and the broader photo as the following.
THE COURT: All right. They may be admitted.
COURT REPORTER: Exhibits 103 and 104.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you were out there with the defendant, were medical staff, paramedics treating her?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you happen to look up?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes, I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you see when you looked up?
STEPHEN HALL: There was an open window with blood marks around the window.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you also see blood marks on the shingles below that window?
STEPHEN HALL: I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: Showing you a photograph here. So up at the top, is this the open window you're referring to?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Zooming in on the shingles, here to the left and right just below that window, are those the blood marks you're referring to?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And here in this photograph, you had mentioned marks, blood marks on the upper window. Is that what you're referring to?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then here at the top of the lower window.
STEPHEN HALL: Right.
MS. SPRAGUE: These marks here, are those the other blood marks that you saw?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: If we could have these photos marked as the next exhibits.
THE COURT: All right, they may be admitted.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you were out there in the backyard, did you see a ripped or... Oh, I'm sorry. 105 through 108.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you were outside, did you see any ripped or torn screens on the ground?
STEPHEN HALL: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you do next?
STEPHEN HALL: I just went over to the paramedic, asked what I can help him with. He said she was good. But she kept taking her face mask off for oxygen. And so I just kept replacing it back onto her face.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you say she, are you referring to Lindsay Clancy?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you then help them get the stretcher to the ambulance?
STEPHEN HALL: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: I have nothing further.
THE COURT: All right. Reddington?
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you for your incredible service.
STEPHEN HALL: Thanks.
THE COURT: All right. Sir, you may step down. Thank you.
STEPHEN HALL: Thank you.
STEPHEN HALL: Thank you.