6.Elaine Rossi — Direct/Cross/Redirect
444 linesMS. BUCKINGHAM: The Commonwealth would call Elaine Rossi as its next witness. Thank you.
BAILIFF: Please stop right there and raise your right hand for the clerk, please.
COURT CLERK: Good morning. [oath administered]
THE COURT: Good morning.
ELAINE ROSSI: Good morning.
THE COURT: Thank you. All right. Counsel.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you. Good morning.
ELAINE ROSSI: Good morning.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Could you please tell the jurors your first and last name?
ELAINE ROSSI: My first name is Elaine Rossi.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Can you spell your last name for the record?
ELAINE ROSSI: R-O-S-S-I.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what city or town do you live in?
ELAINE ROSSI: I live in Kingston.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: What do you do for work?
ELAINE ROSSI: I'm a nanny.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: How long have you been a nanny?
ELAINE ROSSI: For about 15 years now.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: In July of 2022, did you become familiar with the Clancy family?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how did you become involved with their family?
ELAINE ROSSI: I answered a Facebook advertisement seeking a part-time nanny position.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And who posted that advertisement?
ELAINE ROSSI: Lindsay did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did she respond to your message?
ELAINE ROSSI: I responded to her message.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Right. And so you said you were interested, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And then did she respond to you?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So did you have then communication back and forth with her about possibly taking on a nannying position for their family?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, we did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. That was on July 22nd of 2022 that initial back and forth occurred, correct?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And as a result of your initial communication with her, did you end up setting up a time to come meet their family?
ELAINE ROSSI: We did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how did that happen? Where did you meet them?
ELAINE ROSSI: I met at their residence, in the backyard of their home.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And that would have been 47 Summer Street in Duxbury?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And when you went to their home, were you able to meet the children?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how many children were there?
ELAINE ROSSI: Three.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And who were they?
ELAINE ROSSI: Cora, Dawson, and Callan.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And present at that meeting that you had in their backyard were also Patrick and Lindsay Clancy?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what was the purpose of kind of meeting at their home in the backyard?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was to get familiar with the kids, just for an introductory meeting. I got to hold Callan and play with Cora and Dawson a little bit, and talk to Lindsay and Patrick.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so at that time, Cora was four, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And Dawson was three.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And Callan was an infant.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, as a result of your kind of interview or interaction with them, what eventually happened with your relationship with the Clancys? Did you become their nanny?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you communicate with Lindsay about what the expectations of the job were going to be?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So what was your role or your expectations of the role?
ELAINE ROSSI: My role was to take care of Callan when she went back to work.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And did you know when that was expected to happen?
ELAINE ROSSI: I believe, right around Thanksgiving.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you start working for them prior to that? Prior to November?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, I did. I started first week in September of 2022.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so while the original terms were for you to primarily watch Callan, did you take on a slightly different role in between September and November?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so what were the responsibilities, or what did the Clancys ask you to do for the family during the time of September through essentially when you stopped working for them?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was to get to know the family, to get to know how they worked as a family, to get to know their schedule, and essentially mostly to take care of Callan. Occasionally Cora and Dawson would be home, and I would interact with them as well.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So going into it, you knew that you would sometimes be spending time with Cora and Dawson?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: But to your understanding, were they at the home all the time?
ELAINE ROSSI: No, they were at school.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And other than caring for Callan, did you agree to take on some other responsibilities in the household?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what were those responsibilities?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was food prep, light housekeeping, laundry, things like that.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Was that something that you offered to do as part of your services, or were you asked to do it?
ELAINE ROSSI: I offered initially. I said those were things I did as a nanny for previous families.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what was your expected schedule going to be for the Clancys?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was three days a week. I believe it was eight thirty AM to one thirty PM.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And was the three days a set schedule, or was the expectation that it might change?
ELAINE ROSSI: Initially it was set, and then it changed.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: As far as your original expectation, fair to say, you were originally asked to do Monday, Tuesdays, and Thursdays?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And then, as you started working for them, you were asked to kind of adjust some of the days?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And was that something that you could do?
ELAINE ROSSI: If I could, I would.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how about the time? You said from 8:30 to 1:30. Were the times flexible too?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. Sometimes it was 9:00 to 1:30. That was about the only difference.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And—
ELAINE ROSSI: It was about a half hour.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how would you communicate with Lindsay?
ELAINE ROSSI: So we communicated via text a lot. Lindsay also had a notebook in her kitchen that she would leave notes for me for the activities or the instructions for me for the day.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And you started, you said, the week of Labor Day. That was your first week with the Clancy family, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And primarily during that week, did you care for Callan?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did they come to call you something particular, as far as, like, a nickname?
ELAINE ROSSI: They called me Laney.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And that was something the kids called you, as well as Patrick and Lindsay?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So ... this one. So I'm gonna just show you what's been marked as Exhibit 150.
ELAINE ROSSI: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay?
ELAINE ROSSI: Mm-hmm.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: If you wanna just take a quick look inside of it.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: You can flip through the pages—
ELAINE ROSSI: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: ... if that's helpful.
ELAINE ROSSI: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Does the handwriting in that notebook look familiar to you?
ELAINE ROSSI: It does.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And fair to say there's two different handwritings, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Right.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you come to know one of the handwritings as Lindsay's handwriting?
ELAINE ROSSI: I thought all of it was Lindsay's.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. But as far as the second set of handwriting, do you recognize—
ELAINE ROSSI: Oh, it's mine.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay.
ELAINE ROSSI: I'm sorry.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: No, it's okay. And so, is this the notebook that you would kind of communicate with her back and forth about Callan and his schedule?
ELAINE ROSSI: It is.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And fair to say she left you pretty detailed instructions—
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: ... on his care.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, she did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And you were aware that she was very particular about sleep and food and keeping on a schedule, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so that's the purpose of this notebook.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: When you would come to the household in the morning, would you often interact with Lindsay prior to taking the baby?
ELAINE ROSSI: Sometimes if she was there, I would interact with her. Some mornings she wasn't there.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: If she wasn't there, was Patrick home?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you know where she was when she wasn't there?
ELAINE ROSSI: Sometimes she'd leave in the notebook that she was in the basement working out. Sometimes she'd drop the kids off to school.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And would you often see her throughout the day when you were there from your 9:00 to 1:00 shift?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: But there would be times when you wouldn't see her come back to the home?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And in those times when she left, sometimes she had the other two children with her, correct?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And sometimes she did not.
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: At times, were you left with all three children?
ELAINE ROSSI: I think on one occasion I was.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And would you get there before or after Cora and Dawson would be off to school usually?
ELAINE ROSSI: Most times I would be pulling in the driveway, and they would be waiting to say goodbye to me or hello to me.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And you're aware that they did not have school on Tuesdays, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't—
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Were you aware?
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't remember. Sorry.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: When you started working for the Clancy family, was there conversation with Lindsay about Callan not taking a bottle?
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't remember that.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you often feed him a bottle when you were caring for him?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And do you recall at one point that you actually videoed Callan taking a bottle and sent it to Lindsay?
ELAINE ROSSI: Oh, yes, I did. Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And that would've been on September 9th, correct?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: At this point, Your Honor, I'd like to just play a short video.
MR. REDDINGTON: Really, I object. I don't have a pro- let the jury see the video.
THE COURT: Could I see you at sidebar?
THE COURT: All right. Attorney Buckingham.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Your Honor. Oh.
AUDIO RECORDING: Do you love your baba? He's loving it.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Ms. Rossi, is that the video that you took of Callan taking the bottle?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, it was.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And fair to say you sent that video to Lindsay Clancy on September 9th of 2022?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes, I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: At this point, I'd move to admit a copy of that clip as an exhibit.
THE COURT: All right. With no objection, that may be admitted.
COURT REPORTER: Exhibit 213.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: In your care of the children, were you ever permitted to take them outside of the household, like to the park or the library or anything?
ELAINE ROSSI: I took Callan for a walk on one occasion, and I took Cora and Dawson to a Tumble Fun gymnastics class.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And that would have been in October of 2022 that you took Cora and Dawson, correct? When you went to Tumble Fun, what is that?
ELAINE ROSSI: It's a toddler, like, a gymnastics place. Indoor gymnastics place.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you only take Cora and Dawson, or did you also take Callan?
ELAINE ROSSI: Just Cora and Dawson.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And why was it that you took them on this particular day?
ELAINE ROSSI: Lindsay had mentioned to me that they had Tumble Fun, but they wouldn't be, they wouldn't be going because she couldn't drive.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay.
ELAINE ROSSI: So I offered to take them.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did she tell you why she couldn't drive at that time?
ELAINE ROSSI: She didn't.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So you took them. Did you drive her car or your own car?
ELAINE ROSSI: I drove her car.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And you were able to bring them home, correct?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you notice anything different when you came back to the home on that day?
ELAINE ROSSI: I didn't.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: During the course of the time in which you were at the Clancy's house, fair to say from September to early December—
ELAINE ROSSI: Mm-hmm.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: ... is the time that you were there, three days a week?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you come to find out that Lindsay was having some issues?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did she talk to you about that?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what did she tell you about her issues?
ELAINE ROSSI: She shared with me that she was suffering from postpartum.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, when she shared this information with you, had you noticed anything different about her demeanor or her presentation around the house?
ELAINE ROSSI: I didn't at all.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Had her trips out of the house when you were there stopped or decreased during that time period?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did she tell you that at that time that she was seeing some doctors?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: What about medication? Did you have any conversations with her about her taking medication during that time period?
ELAINE ROSSI: I think we talked about she was gonna stop a medication because she was trying to stop nursing.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: That she was gonna stop medication, or she was gonna start medication?
ELAINE ROSSI: She was- I think she was trying to stop something because she was going to... Oh, I'm sorry.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: That's okay.
ELAINE ROSSI: Sorry.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Take your time.
ELAINE ROSSI: She was not going to nurse Callan anymore because she was going to be starting a new medication.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did she ever give you any details about the medication?
ELAINE ROSSI: She didn't.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Do you recall seeing prescription bottles around the house?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you ever learn from Lindsay that she had gone to the emergency room in November of 2020- '22?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: How about going to the emergency room in December of 2022?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did anything about your arrangements with coming on the three days, caring for Callan and sometimes Cora, did any of that ever change because of what she reported to you about having postpartum?
ELAINE ROSSI: Only at the end of my time with them.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And we'll get there in a second.
ELAINE ROSSI: Okay.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: But did you have the occasion to observe her interacting with the children?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you have any concerns about her interacting with the children?
ELAINE ROSSI: None at all. She was a wonderful mom.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did she have any further conversation with you about maybe more specific sleep, or sleep issues that she had been having during the time period you were nannying for them?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what did she tell you about that?
ELAINE ROSSI: She told me she was having difficulty sleeping and that she was sleeping in the basement.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, when you would watch Callan and she would be in the basement, would you often see her in the basement?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And one of the things you said that you sometimes did was do some laundry, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And where was the laundry in the Clancy house?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was in the basement.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so you'd have to go through that living room area down there where the couch was to get back to the laundry room?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. It was in the back.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. How about working out in the basement? Do you recall if you went down the basement stairs to the right that there'd be, like, a little area where there'd be weights and that kind of thing? Did you ever see her working out there?
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't recall if I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. As far as the medications, do you recall where you observed the medications in the house?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. They were in, to the right of the refrigerator. I believe in a cabinet.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And you have, had to go into the Clancy, Patrick and Lindsay's bedroom, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Fair to say Callan's crib was in there?
ELAINE ROSSI: It was.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So do you recall ever seeing medications in the bedroom?
ELAINE ROSSI: I didn't.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, you had mentioned that you knew Lindsay to go—be going back to work in November, correct? Were you advised, or did you know that she was originally scheduled to go back in October—but then bumped it back to November?
ELAINE ROSSI: I didn't know that.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: But as you began working for them, that November date—
ELAINE ROSSI: Mm-hmm.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: …was in mind, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Moving to Thanksgiving of 2022, did something change about the plan for her to go back to work?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. I came in, I think it was a few days after Thanksgiv- maybe the day after Thanksgiving, and Lindsay was in the kitchen, and I had expected her to be asleep, because I-
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Why was that?
ELAINE ROSSI: Because I thought she was working that shift, that Thanksgiving shift. And she told me that she wouldn't be going back to work.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And was there any further conversation of what the plan was for you and the family during that time period?
ELAINE ROSSI: No, I think I mentioned if she wasn't going back to work and that if they didn't need me, if they could let me know.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And so, do you recall being at the home at one point where Patrick and Lindsay left the house and came back?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Can you tell us about that interaction?
ELAINE ROSSI: Of course. Patrick and Lindsay went for a walk, and when they returned, I was in the living room on the floor with Callan, and they came in and told me that they would have to let me go because Lindsay would not be going back to work, and the two of them would be home to care for the children.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And so, did they give you anything else, any other information about why Lindsay wasn't going back to work during that meeting?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And did they give you some time to kinda make other arrangements after that?
ELAINE ROSSI: They did. I believe they gave me two weeks.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And during that time after Thanksgiving, did you have the occasion to see Lindsay interacting with the kids in the home?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And was anything about your observations of her different?
ELAINE ROSSI: Nothing.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, the kids themselves, you had the occasion to spend some time with Cora. And how would you describe Cora?
ELAINE ROSSI: Oh, Cora was a girly girl who loved her babies very much. She was very sweet, and she loved arts and crafts and loved playing with her Fresh Mart, which was a little children's supermarket. She was lovely.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And Dawson, how about him? How would you describe him?
ELAINE ROSSI: Dawson was full of energy, rambunctious, funny, silly.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you ever have any problem watching Dawson, or keeping him under control, or...?
ELAINE ROSSI: Not at all. I was only with him on a handful of occasions.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you ever see Dawson kind of interacting with his siblings, with Cora or with Callan?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you see anything, or could you tell us a little bit about Dawson's interactions with them?
ELAINE ROSSI: Cora and Dawson played well. I... There was one occasion in the kitchen where they were playing, and I think Cora took one of his Play-Doh something. He was playing with Play-Doh, and his reaction, he was frustrated, and he reached out and slapped Callan.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, were you alone with the kids during this interaction, or was Lindsay present too?
ELAINE ROSSI: Lindsay was, I think, in the kitchen at the same time.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you see her react to that when she saw that behavior?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what was the reaction? What did she do?
ELAINE ROSSI: She went over and removed Callan. Sorry, she removed Dawson from the room and came back and consoled Callan.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And eventually did you see her go back and kind of talk to Dawson about his behavior and address it?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And was that appropriate in your opinion?
ELAINE ROSSI: Of course, yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: How about your—how you would describe Callan? How would you describe him? You spent the most time with him, correct?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did. He was the happiest, sweetest, easiest baby. He was just a love.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: If Lindsay had told you in one of these exchanges, and again, you exchanged mostly either in this notebook or via text, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: If she told you about working out, do you know if she wasn't in the basement where she would go to work out?
ELAINE ROSSI: I think it was the Kingsbury Club.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And as far as when you stopped working for them, do you remember exactly when it was? You said maybe two weeks after Thanksgiving.
ELAINE ROSSI: I think it was December 8th or December 10th.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And in the time that you were with the Clancys and in their households caring for their kids, you know, interacting with Patrick and Lindsay, did you ever have any concerns that the children were not safe?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you.
THE COURT: Okay.
THE COURT: All right. Cross.
MR. REDDINGTON: Morning.
ELAINE ROSSI: Good morning.
MR. REDDINGTON: So you first met Lindsay and Patrick and the kids in, was it July of '22?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And then you were hired, obviously, and you then took over as a nanny.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: You also, you got a lot of years of experience as a nanny, don't you?
ELAINE ROSSI: I do.
MR. REDDINGTON: And this was that you wanted to kinda pick up some more hours, and that's why you fortunately reached out to the two of them and ended up taking care of those kids.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: So from July until, what was it, November after Thanksgiving, or was it early December that they had the walk, and then they came in and told you that she was gonna be home?
ELAINE ROSSI: Early December.
MR. REDDINGTON: Early December.
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you all left on good terms, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Oh, wonderful terms.
MR. REDDINGTON: Yeah. I mean, you guys stayed in touch with each other. You texted them Christmas, things of that nature, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did reach out to Lindsay to wish her a merry Christmas.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she respond?
ELAINE ROSSI: She did.
MR. REDDINGTON: Would you agree that, on March 1st of 2023, the state police interviewed you for about a half hour or longer about your observations of the Clancy family?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall that the trooper—were there one or two of them, if you remember?
ELAINE ROSSI: I believe there were two.
MR. REDDINGTON: Yeah. Do you recall the trooper asking you questions about your observations of the Clancy family, with particular focus on Lindsay? They were asking you about your—how well you knew her, what you thought of her, what she did as far as a mother in your presence.
ELAINE ROSSI: I'm sorry, I can't really hear you.
MR. REDDINGTON: I apologize. They wanted to know what kind of a mother she was, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you were able to respond to that, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MR. REDDINGTON: They also wanted to know any observations that you had about her use of prescription drugs, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you were forthcoming on that as well, right? They also wanted to know whether or not you observed if she'd made any statements about any symptomology or symptoms that she might have been having that were causing her difficulty, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall indicating to the troopers that, in your opinion, that she was a loving and a doting mother?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Can you tell the jury what that means? I mean, what did you observe about her as a mother interacting with her kids?
ELAINE ROSSI: I observed a wonderful mom, who loved her kids, who was... She was very concerned with their safety. She was very concerned with Callan's eating and sleeping. She was a wonderful mother.
MR. REDDINGTON: And the district attorney asked you questions about what apparently is Exhibit 150 in this case. And that's the book that she would write notes to you on, and then you would on occasion write notes back to her. Is that right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: So when the district attorney asked you to identify her writing... So, like, also there were, like, photographs like that in the book as well, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Mm-hmm.
MR. REDDINGTON: Now, who would draw that? Would she draw that or would you draw that?
ELAINE ROSSI: I think I drew that.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did you draw that?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yeah, I think so.
MR. REDDINGTON: And for example, Thursday, September 29th, it says, "Callan, last fed, time. Put him down for a nap at 9:35," with a smiley face. "We will be home. Clean the clothes in the dryer if you get to it." And then, "I'll call up at 10:45." And then some scribbly mark on the bottom. That's an indication of the type of notes that she would leave for you?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: Would she also leave notes for you to the effect of cutting up sweet potatoes, and cutting up celery and things in one-inch squares so that the kids could eat them?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. Food prep, yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did you find that to be overbearing or, or, or—
ELAINE ROSSI: Well, not at all.
MR. REDDINGTON: You didn't find that to be controlling, that she was trying to exert a control over you, did you?
ELAINE ROSSI: Not at all.
MR. REDDINGTON: Felt that was appropriate for her to tell you about the cutting up of the vegetables in squares and things?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: She also told you during that period of time that she was unable to sleep. Isn't that right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: Told you that lack of sleep was becoming a significant impact on her life, and that she had to see doctors and was on medication for that, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: Again, the troopers were questioning you and directing you on your questions or your answers. And at one point, do you recall saying to the trooper, "I loved my Lindsay"?
ELAINE ROSSI: I loved my Lindsay?
MR. REDDINGTON: Yeah.
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't recall saying that.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Did you?
ELAINE ROSSI: Do I love Lindsay?
MR. REDDINGTON: Yeah.
ELAINE ROSSI: I did love Lindsay, yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Now, when she... When was she sleeping in the basement? Do you remember that?
ELAINE ROSSI: Do I know when or why?
MR. REDDINGTON: When. When was she sleeping in the basement?
ELAINE ROSSI: I honestly don't remember.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Do you remember, if I suggest to you that it was around the end of November, mid-December, that she was sleeping in the basement for a period of time? If you remember.
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't remember. I'm sorry.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Did she indicate to you why she was sleeping in the basement?
ELAINE ROSSI: She... I don't think she did.
MR. REDDINGTON: Would you agree that she was forthright with you, as far as telling you what was going on in her life as far as her concentration and her inability to sleep, and things of that nature?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
MR. REDDINGTON: Would she tell you about those problems that she was suffering?
ELAINE ROSSI: She shared with me that she had postpartum, and that she couldn't sleep.
MR. REDDINGTON: And as a result of that, you were pretty concerned for her, weren't you?
ELAINE ROSSI: I really don't know much about postpartum, but I was, I would always ask her how she was doing—
MR. REDDINGTON: Right.
ELAINE ROSSI: … or how she was doing.
MR. REDDINGTON: And in fact, you noted that in addition to the inability to sleep that she would speak about, that she was unable to focus. Do you recall her ever saying she had difficulty focusing on things?
ELAINE ROSSI: I don't recall her saying that to me.
MR. REDDINGTON: How about thin? Did you notice that she appeared to be losing significant weight?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did, and I commented to her about that.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. And you had occasion to see her as a mother, playing with the children, obviously, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Would the two of you stay in touch with each other by text, even when she was out and you were home, in their home with the kids?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Fair to say that you would take many, many videos of the kids and send them to Lindsay on her phone, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MR. REDDINGTON: And fair to say that during that period of time from your involvement, Ms. Rossi, as a nanny, that you sent her videos of the children playing, and as we saw, the baby taking a bottle and the baby eating, and things of that nature, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: I did.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she ever send you any videos, or did she ever respond to your emails or videos?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes. She responded to every—most of my texts she responded to.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she seem to be appreciative of your work?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Yeah.
ELAINE ROSSI: Very much so.
MR. REDDINGTON: And in fact, she was pretty vocal about that. She thought the world of you, right?
ELAINE ROSSI: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you. That's all I have.
THE COURT: Redirect?
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Just one question. In all that she told you about postpartum, sleep and all that you observed in the house, did you ever have any conversations with her about intrusive thoughts or thoughts of harming herself?
ELAINE ROSSI: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you.
THE COURT: Okay. Anything on that?
THE COURT: All right. You may step down. Thank you.
ELAINE ROSSI: Thank you.
THE COURT: Counsel, could I see you?
THE COURT: All right. So members of the jury, who—as I told you, we're not gonna sit this afternoon. So we're gonna break at this point, all right? And so I'm gonna ask you to come back tomorrow at nine o'clock. Remember those instructions. Don't talk about this. Don't do any research about this. Don't listen about anything. Don't talk about it with anyone. And I'm gonna ask you to come back tomorrow at nine o'clock, and we'll start with the testimony tomorrow. Okay? All right. Thank you very much.
BAILIFF: Court, all rise. Jurors, please close your notebooks. Place them on your chairs. This way.
BAILIFF: Jury has exited the courtroom. This court is in session.
THE COURT: All right, counsel, anything else we need to talk about—
MR. REDDINGTON: No, thank you.
THE COURT: … before tomorrow morning? All right. So this case will be in recess till tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you.
THE COURT: Thank you.
BAILIFF: Court, all rise.
THE COURT: With no expect— We're not coming… There's nothing scheduled at two o'clock in this matter any further, okay?
THE COURT: So this court on this case will be in recess till tomorrow at nine o'clock.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you.