8.Amy Bevins — Direct/Cross
241 linesBAILIFF: All rise. Jurors entering.
BAILIFF: This court's now in session. Please be seated.
COURT CLERK: Your Honor, for the purpose of the record, we return back to the trial of Commonwealth versus Lindsay Clancy. All parties are present, including the defendant and including the 18 jurors.
THE COURT: All right. Everyone, thank you. Commonwealth, call your next witness, please.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you. Commonwealth calls Amy Bevins.
BAILIFF: Good afternoon. You can stop right there. Raise your right hand for the clerk, please.
COURT CLERK: Good afternoon. 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?
COURT CLERK: You may have a seat.
BAILIFF: Watch your step, please.
AMY BEVINS: Thank you.
THE COURT: All right. Good afternoon. I'm gonna ask you to speak into that microphone. Keep your voice up if you could, okay?
AMY BEVINS: Okay.
THE COURT: All right. Attorney Sprague.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you. Good afternoon.
AMY BEVINS: Good afternoon.
MS. SPRAGUE: Can you please state and spell your name for the record?
AMY BEVINS: Amy Bevins. A-M-Y B-E-V-I-N-S.
MS. SPRAGUE: And your date of birth?
AMY BEVINS: 8/22/90.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you live in Connecticut?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: What do you do for work?
AMY BEVINS: I'm a licensed behavior analyst, but I specialize primarily in early intervention for young children with autism.
MS. SPRAGUE: If you could just keep your voice up a little bit, maybe come a little forward to the mic.
AMY BEVINS: Okay.
MS. SPRAGUE: How long have you been doing that?
AMY BEVINS: Six years. I was a special education teacher before that for a long time as well.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you know Lindsay Clancy?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: How do you know her?
AMY BEVINS: We have been friends for almost 29 years.
MS. SPRAGUE: So you met her when you were children?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you go to school together?
AMY BEVINS: Elementary school.
MS. SPRAGUE: And after that?
AMY BEVINS: Up, all the way up through middle school and high school as well.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And...
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you keep in touch with Lindsay when you went off to college?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm assuming you didn't go to the same college, right?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you know where Lindsay went?
AMY BEVINS: Quinnipiac University.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how did you keep in touch?
AMY BEVINS: Through texts, phone calls. We visited each other at each other's campuses.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then when Lindsay went to nursing school, did you still stay in touch at that point in time?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how did you do that? The same way, like texts, visits?
AMY BEVINS: Yes. I also lived in Boston at the same time that she was in nursing school up in Boston.
MS. SPRAGUE: So was your contact more frequent while she was in nursing school versus when she was in college?
AMY BEVINS: I can't remember the exact amount of contact, but I would say we were always in contact together, yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. While Ms. Clancy was in nursing school, did she ever tell you that she was taking some mental health medication?
AMY BEVINS: I can't recall.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ever tell you that she was struggling with anxiety or anything like that while in nursing school?
AMY BEVINS: Nothing that I can recall.
MS. SPRAGUE: And after she was finished with nursing school, did the two of you still remain in touch?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how often would you see her?
AMY BEVINS: I moved back home to Connecticut, so whenever we were... she was able to visit home, we would stay in touch. I traveled to Boston some, like not very frequently, but I would visit her there as well.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you have a text chain going between the two of you?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you also have a group text with other friends from Connecticut that you both grew up with that you would participate in?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how often would you text with Lindsay?
AMY BEVINS: Pretty frequently. It depended on, I think, the point in life that we were at, but I would say there was regular communication.
MS. SPRAGUE: And growing up with Lindsay and knowing her into adulthood, how would you describe her general demeanor?
AMY BEVINS: She was pretty a calm person. You know, she was able... She was nice and had a very, like, calm approach to herself.
MS. SPRAGUE: And during that time that you knew her and would interact with her, did you ever notice any changes in her pattern of speech or rate of speech?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was she pretty consistent in her behavior and speech patterns throughout the years that you knew her?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: After Ms. Clancy had Cora, were you still in contact with her at that time?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And just to kind of get it out of the way, were you in contact with her all the way up at, through January of 2023?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And so after she had Cora, did you notice any changes in her demeanor?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you notice any changes in her behavior?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you notice any changes in her speech patterns?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: After she had Dawson, did she talk to you about that delivery and how that went?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did she tell you about that?
AMY BEVINS: That it was more of a difficult delivery than the one she had with Cora. That she would maybe need to take some time to recover prior to thinking about having a third child.
MS. SPRAGUE: And during that time after she had Dawson, did you notice any changes in her behavior?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Or her demeanor?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Her speech pattern?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was there anything about your interactions with Lindsay during that time that caused you to have concern about her harming herself or someone else?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then after she gave birth to Callan, did you notice a change in her demeanor at that time?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Or her behavior or rate of speech?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you see her in Connecticut in November of 2022?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And why did you see her then? What was happening?
AMY BEVINS: She had traveled down to Connecticut. We had gotten together as a group to go out to breakfast.
MS. SPRAGUE: And had she come to Connecticut alone or with her family?
AMY BEVINS: Alone, I believe, at that time.
MS. SPRAGUE: And you said you went out to breakfast?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was this with that whole group of friends and spouses and everyone that kept in contact from Connecticut?
AMY BEVINS: Yes. There was a group of us there that had all remained friends.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you notice anything about her demeanor or behavior at that breakfast in November of 2022 that caused you concern or was different than her typical behavior?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you have some text conversations in January of 2023 about some issues that Lindsay was having?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you recall when those messages started?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall the exact date of the messages, but it was only, I believe, one night.
MS. SPRAGUE: And in terms of what happened on January 24th, 2023, how close in time was it to that?
AMY BEVINS: Can you repeat the question? I'm sorry.
MS. SPRAGUE: So in terms of January 24th, 2023—
AMY BEVINS: Mm-hmm.
MS. SPRAGUE: … when the children were killed, how close in time were your text messages to that incident?
AMY BEVINS: Only a few days.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And what was that text conversation?
AMY BEVINS: She had shared that she had been taking a medication that caused her to have some dark thoughts, but that she was going to or had been weaning, like tapering off that medication and was trialing new ones that would remove those side effects and be more helpful and therapeutic to what she needed.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did she tell you what those dark thoughts were?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: What was the tone of the conversation?
AMY BEVINS: Hopeful, I would categorize it. I remember it being something where there was conveying of hope and that it was going to be a po- you know, we were moving in a positive direction.
MS. SPRAGUE: So basically would it be fair to say that Lindsay was telling you that she'd had some side effects and some dark thoughts because of medication, but was weaning off of those and moving on to something else that would hopefully help her?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ever express at any point that she wanted to harm herself?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ever express that she wanted to harm the children?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ever tell you that she was hearing voices?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Other than saying that she had had some bad thoughts, did she say anything else that was concerning in that conversation?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: I wanna direct your attention to March of 2023. Did you visit Ms. Clancy while she was at the Spaulding Rehabilitation facility?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how was that arranged?
AMY BEVINS: At the request of one of her family members who reached out to see if I would like to come visit.
MS. SPRAGUE: And you traveled to Massachusetts and visited Lindsay at the Spaulding Rehab Center, is that right?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you do there with Lindsay that day?
AMY BEVINS: We made small talk. We played Uno. It was a pretty basic visit.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you say you made small talk, what did she talk about?
AMY BEVINS: I remember her asking about my daughter. I remember her asking about any updates to life events for our friends. We talked about some hobbies that she was doing while at Spaulding, and then played a game.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you remember what hobbies she was doing at Spaulding?
AMY BEVINS: I can't recall specifically, no.
MS. SPRAGUE: At any point in time did she mention the death of her children?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: At any point in time did she break down in tears and cry about her children?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: What was her affect during that meeting?
AMY BEVINS: It... I don't remember exactly. Pretty neutral, I would say.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she attempt at any point to harm herself?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ask you for help in harming herself?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she talk about Cora, Dawson or Callan at all?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MS. SPRAGUE: I have nothing further. Thank you.
THE COURT: Mr. Reddington.
MR. REDDINGTON: Good afternoon.
AMY BEVINS: Hi.
MR. REDDINGTON: You're nervous. Don't be. Okay. You guys go back how far?
AMY BEVINS: Almost 29 years.
MR. REDDINGTON: And over those 29 years, knowing Lindsay when you guys were in grammar school, I guess, and high school, and then you went off to college, and you had your families and your marriages. Tell us what your opinion was of her as a person.
AMY BEVINS: I knew her as a good person, a good friend, a good mom.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you had occasion to see her with her kids and how she acted with her kids, Cora, up till Cal- Callan?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And did you ever observe anything out of the ordinary, or did she appear to be a loving person and taking care of her kids?
AMY BEVINS: I never saw anything out of the ordinary.
MR. REDDINGTON: District Attorney asked you about the visit that you had when you were good enough to visit with her at Spaulding Rehab, and this was when? In March of '23?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And arrangements had to be made for you to visit with her. You had to get approval, and whether you know or not, I mean, I had to kinda help you out a little bit trying to get through the red tape to get in there to see her, along with her family approval and that type of thing, right?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall any of that.
MR. REDDINGTON: But you were able to get in—
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: ...to visit with her. And this would have been in the beginning of March, if you know, the middle of March, the end?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall the exact time.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Was she able to walk around and ambulate, or was she in a wheelchair? Or what was her condition? Was she in bed?
AMY BEVINS: She was in a wheelchair. She was sitting up the entire visit.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did you ask her about why she was in the wheelchair and anything like that?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MR. REDDINGTON: You knew that she had been in the hospital from January 24th, right?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you knew that your friend had been charged by the police and had killed her three beautiful children, right?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: That was a bit of an awkward, uncomfortable topic, wasn't it?
AMY BEVINS: I think it would be for anybody, yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Absolutely. And the district attorney asked you whether or not she cried and whether or not she told you about her children and anything to do with her children or that incident. You both basically stayed away from that entire subject, right?
AMY BEVINS: I remember also being told not to bring that up specifically which at the time I would—like, I figured that that could be due to the recommendation of mental health providers, et cetera, who were treating her.
MR. REDDINGTON: Right. And who told you that?
AMY BEVINS: Her sister.
MR. REDDINGTON: Now, how long did you visit with her?
AMY BEVINS: It was brief. Maybe 30 to 45 minutes.
MR. REDDINGTON: That's all I have. Wait a minute. Did you guys have a group get-together in December of 2022, if you recall?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall seeing her after Thanksgiving in, around that timeframe in December of '22?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall doing, no.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall having conversations with her around that timeframe, which would be in December of 2022, that she was talking to you about medications and asking you questions about a particular medication?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall the exact timeframe of those conversations.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. You were summonsed here today by the DA's office. Is that correct?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: You were also on my witness list as well, right?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And when I ask you about the conversations, the reason is you were questioned by the state police back in January of '23. Do you remember that?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And one of the troopers had asked you whether or not you had any conversations with Lindsay, your friend, about medications. And you indicated that… And I quote. She… Page 12, "She knows that I'm pretty open about mental health, that I'm a big advocate of mental health. And she asked me if I knew, like, you know, if I had tried a medication." Do you remember saying that?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Does that refresh your memory at all as to approximately what time, when that was? Would that have been in December of '22, after Thanksgiving? Did you know—
AMY BEVINS: I don't. No, I still don't recall the exact time, but I do remember that being a conversation that we had.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Do you remember where you had the conversation?
AMY BEVINS: It was over text message.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Do you recall her asking you what your experience was? Because you had some knowledge of medications, correct?
AMY BEVINS: As a patient.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. And as a result of that, and being close and good friends, that she had asked you what your experience was. And again, it's page 13. And she would say, "How was your experience? Did you ever take this? What was your experience with this?" That type of thing. Do you remember that? That conversation.
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall this specific conversation.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall the medication that she asked you about?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: What was that?
AMY BEVINS: I remember it being Lexapro.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you recall, in your text message exchange that you, that she had asked you about, or told you about some of the medications that she was taking, and that there were some difficulties with it?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Do you remember that she had asked you whether or not you had noted or if you were aware of any side effects of medications?
AMY BEVINS: I don't recall.
MR. REDDINGTON: And after those text threads, and with that understanding, being as close to Lindsay as you were, she then confided in you that she was having dark thoughts, as I think was the expression?
AMY BEVINS: That was a long time after the conversation that we had had about the medication. I do remember that being the first time I had heard any concern around her mental health up until that point.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. And what point was that, if you remember?
AMY BEVINS: Can you restate the question?
MR. REDDINGTON: Sure. Let me ask it this way. When she told you that she was having problems or difficulties with the medication and when she was telling you that she was having dark thoughts, do you remember when that was?
AMY BEVINS: Towards the end of January 2023.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Do you remember, was that in person or was that a message, text message?
AMY BEVINS: Over text message.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she explicate it? Did she explain what the dark thoughts were?
AMY BEVINS: No.
MR. REDDINGTON: And the next time you saw her after that was at the hospital, rehab, correct?
AMY BEVINS: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you, ma'am. That's all I have.
MS. SPRAGUE: Nothing further.
THE COURT: All right. Thank you, ma'am. You may step down.