6.Andrea Hennigan — Direct/Cross
162 linesMS. SPRAGUE: Commonwealth calls Andrea Hennigan.
COURT CLERK: Thank you. You may have a seat.
THE COURT: Good morning.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Good morning.
THE COURT: All right. I'm gonna ask you to speak into that microphone. Keep your voice up so all the jurors can hear you. Okay?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
THE COURT: All right. Perfect. Ms. Sprague.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you. Good morning. Can you please state and spell your name for the record?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Andrea Hennigan. A-N-D-R-E-A H-E-N-N-I-G-A-N.
MS. SPRAGUE: And your date of birth?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: March 11th, 1976.
MS. SPRAGUE: What do you do for a living?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I'm a registered nurse.
MS. SPRAGUE: And where do you work?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Massachusetts General Hospital.
MS. SPRAGUE: And do you work at any specific department there?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Labor and delivery.
MS. SPRAGUE: How long have you been a labor and delivery nurse at Mass General?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Twenty-five years.
MS. SPRAGUE: And as part of your training and work in labor and delivery, are you trained in recognizing or helping new mothers who seem to be having issues with postpartum?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Do you mean postpartum depression?
MS. SPRAGUE: Yes.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I don't have formal training in that area, and I mostly see women before they give birth and immediately afterwards, in the first two hours after they give birth. If they come back to the hospital during the postpartum period for a concern, we do screen patients for postpartum depression.
MS. SPRAGUE: And is that all the nurses that work for the Mass General Hospital labor and delivery unit are able to do those gr- screenings for postpartum depression?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. We ask patients questions about if they're suffering from depression or anxiety and if they have any feelings of wanting to harm themselves or anyone else. That's a standard admission question.
MS. SPRAGUE: And if these patients respond that, yes, they are having issues with depression, anxiety, or wanting to harm themselves or others, what do you do with those patients? Do you refer them to somewhere, or do you give them materials? What do you do?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Well, we would talk more about their symptoms with them, and then the first step would probably to be alert the provider who's caring for them, either the doctor or the nurse midwife in our setting, and get social work involved.
MS. SPRAGUE: Now, while you were working at Mass General Hospital, did you work with Lindsay Clancy?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes, I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: How long did you work with her?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: The whole time she worked on our unit, which I believe was seven years.
MS. SPRAGUE: And so when you say our unit, she also worked in labor and delivery with you, is that correct?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And in addition to seeing her at work, would you also socialize with her occasionally outside of work?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Occasionally, yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Directing your attention to after Ms. Clancy gave birth to Callan, which May of twenty twenty-two, so after May of twenty twenty-two, did you reach out to her or talk to her in any way?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. I saw Lindsay twice, from when Callan was born until January, January. I saw her in June and in November, and we would send each other text messages.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you saw her in June, where was that?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: That was at her home. I brought some lunch for her and visited with her and the baby, and Patrick and Dawson were home.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how was Lindsay's demeanor during that visit?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Very good.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was she her typical self?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how long was that visit for, approximately?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Maybe two hours or something like that.
MS. SPRAGUE: And you said the next time you saw her was in November of twenty twenty-two. Is that correct?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Correct.
MS. SPRAGUE: And where was that?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: It was at a restaurant in Hingham. We met for lunch.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you met with her for lunch in November of twenty twenty-two, did Ms. Clancy talk to you about some issues she was having with sleep and anxiety?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes, she did.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did she tell you about that?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: During the lunch specifically, I don't remember her exact symptoms. Our conversation surrounded her upcoming return to work, and Lindsay was feeling that she wasn't in a mental state ready to go and take care of patients. She talked about insomnia and some not feeling herself. I believe she might have used the words like brain fog or something like that.
MS. SPRAGUE: And while you were having lunch with her and having this discussion, did you ever have any trouble understanding what she was saying?
MS. SPRAGUE: Did she ever appear to have difficulty understanding what you were saying in response?
MS. SPRAGUE: Was there anything different about her speech pattern?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Not that I recall.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you were discussing these issues with Lindsay about having some insomnia and being concerned about going back to work, did you give her any advice or do anything to help?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. It was myself and two other nurses that we work with who Lindsay was friends with outside of work, and we were all encouraging her to get the help and support that she needed with medication if needed, and therapists and giving her any ideas we could think of in our personal and professional lives that may help her.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did Lindsay tell you that she was looking to find some type of medication that would help her sleep and help her with her anxiety?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes, I believe we talked about medication. And she was going to be meeting with a new therapist shortly.
MS. SPRAGUE: And during this conversation or after it happened, did you ever have any concerns about her harming herself?
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you ever have any concerns about her harming the children?
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you give her some names of obstetrics or social workers?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I did. After our lunch, I recall that I reached out to another friend of mine who had had a pregnancy loss that was challenging for her and had met with obstetrical-specific social workers or—and support groups. And I asked that woman, "Could you share those names?" And I sent them to Lindsay.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. Did you have some text messages between yourself and Lindsay around Thanksgiving of 2022, in which she told you about a program she was going to try?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: We did have text messages around Thanksgiving. I believe the program you're referring to was something that her mother-in-law had told her about at South Shore Hospital that was more specific to perinatal issues rather than a general social worker, someone who specialized in this area.
MS. SPRAGUE: What does perinatal mean?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: During pregnancy, birth, and after birth.
MS. SPRAGUE: So this was a program more focused on women, either during their pregnancy, while birth—during birth—or right after birth, as far as you know?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I mean, as far as I understood it, I just understood it to mean someone who was familiar more with postpartum depression or anxiety, was my understanding.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And did you also receive some text messages from Lindsay Clancy right after New Year's, on January 2nd, 2023?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes, I did.
MS. SPRAGUE: And can you tell us what that exchange was?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Again, that was with myself and Lindsay and the two other nurses who she had confided in. And we asked her how her holidays were, and could we get together again in the new year. And she said, "I can't get together right now because I'm involved in an intensive program, but hopefully soon."
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And did she wish you a Happy New Year?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: She may have. I do not recall.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did she tell you that she was in fact at that time at McLean Hospital, or did she just leave it more vague that it was just an intense program?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I believe it was an intense program. I did not know the name of the facility at that time.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you at that time know that she was currently at a hospital?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I don't recall what I knew then versus what I know now.
MS. SPRAGUE: Did you also speak with Lindsay on January 23rd, 2023?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I did not speak to Lindsay. I sent her a text message on January 23rd.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you say in your text message?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I'm paraphrasing, but I believe I said, "Hi, I've been thinking of you. Wondering if you're still in the daily program," I believe I said. So maybe I didn't realize it was inpatient. And she responded.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what was her response?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Again, I'm paraphrasing, but she said something like, "I'm no longer in the program. I'm continuing to work with my psychiatrist to find the right medication that will allow me to sleep at night but still function during the day. I've had a lot of bad or negative side effects from the medication, so I've had to come off of them and go on new ones, and it's been very difficult."
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Or has taken a long time, or something like that.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. And after that, those text messages that were exchanged on the 23rd, did you have any concerns that she was gonna harm herself?
MS. SPRAGUE: The tone of the text messages, were they more positive and hopeful that things were gonna work out on the right medications?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: I don't know that they were more positive than previous times. I believe that Lindsay was always hopeful that she would get the care that she was seeking, so I don't know that the tone was different that day.
MS. SPRAGUE: But it wasn't a negative tone. It was that same kind of hopeful tone?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes, as far as I remember.
MS. SPRAGUE: Okay. Thank you.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Thank you.
THE COURT: Attorney Reddington.
MR. REDDINGTON: Morning.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Good morning.
MR. REDDINGTON: So even during the, say the difficult times that she had, she was always trying to be hopeful and always tried to have a positive outlook on her health?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: That was my impression, yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you obviously are a good friend.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. I believe so.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you've known her for what, seven year or nine years now, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. I believe since 2015, if that's when she began working at Mass General.
MR. REDDINGTON: Right. So she was like a 24-year-old kid when she first started there, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And you basically knew her right out of nursing school. All the way up through—
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: ... till she finally had the baby, the last baby, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Mm-hmm.
MR. REDDINGTON: Can you tell us what was her work ethic? Was she a good nurse? Was she a caring nurse? Tell us what your observations were. Granted that you're a friend, and you might be biased, but tell us what you thought.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. Lindsay loved being a nurse and was excellent at it. It was a degree, a second degree for her, to go to nursing school. And you could tell with Lindsay it was a more of a calling that she really cared so deeply, specifically about caring for pregnant women and women giving birth. She was very attentive to all of her patients' needs. She was very smart, and mostly she was incredibly nurturing and caring.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you. And during the period of time in the fall of 2022 up through Thanksgiving of '22 and then into '23, you obviously, as a good friend, stayed in close contact with her, texting, seeing her at dinner, lunches, and everything, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And then when you and some of the other nurses would go to a lunch, for example, if I understand correctly, on one of the luncheons that you had in the fall of '22, she was telling or sharing with you the fact that she was going through a difficult period?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Told you that she was not in a good mental state, that she had a lot of insomnia, and she even described it as brain fog, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. I believe so. She definitely used those words in our text messages, you know, as the fall progressed. But I believe she used those words during the lunch. She definitely said that she was in a difficult mental place and wouldn't be able to... didn't think she'd be able to go back to work.
MR. REDDINGTON: And she told you that she was actually actively treating with medical personnel. Did she say a psychiatrist, psychologist, or just seeing doctors, or what did she say?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes. She talked about therapists. She talked about going on medication. At some point in that month of November, she said she had even gone to the emergency department.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she tell you that she was having negative side effects with the medication that she had been prescribed by these doctors?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: She did. She did not elaborate on the side effects, but she did say that multiple times.
MR. REDDINGTON: So as close as you were for all those years working together, and you guys worked together through the COVID too, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Is that a bonding experience for nurses?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: During that period of time, did you ever observe her—was she a complainer? Like, would she come and complain to you, or was she pretty much private, but would share her opinions of what was happening inside of her with you?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: She was not a complainer about work or home or anything. But we were friends, and she did share more personal details with me.
MR. REDDINGTON: And when she was working, would you guys be working on the night shift, or would you work in the afternoon or—
ANDREA HENNIGAN: The night shift.
MR. REDDINGTON: Night shift.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Mm-hmm.
MR. REDDINGTON: So when you... Did you ever see her go on her phone and access cameras to see what was going on at home with the babies or anything like that?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Is that something that she would do on a regular basis, staying in touch with the family and looking at the cameras?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did she ever tell you why she was doing that?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Not specifically.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. She, to your appearance or to your observation, appeared to be very concerned about her kids, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: Did you ever hear her complain that she wanted to leave behind the life that she had and basically move on to something better?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Oh, no. Lindsay, from the time I met her as a young woman, very much desired to be a mother and have a family.
MR. REDDINGTON: And she did share with you that her mother-in-law actually referred her to somebody for some help as well, correct?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: In the holiday period, you guys stayed in touch again. You were texting her, and that's when she was... Now, we know she was in McLean Hospital, but she told you she was in an intensive program, right?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: In other words, she didn't say, “I can't go to lunch with you guys because I'm in a mental hospital.” She basically said, “I'm treating my problems.”
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: To your years of dealing with Lindsay and seeing her with her kids and her family, what's your opinion of her as a mother?
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Lindsay was a very loving, caring mother. She... This is exactly what she wanted, to have me- She wanted a big family. She was happy to have her children close in age.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Thank you.
THE COURT: You, redirect?
MS. SPRAGUE: No, Your Honor.
THE COURT: All right. Thank you, ma'am. You may step down.
ANDREA HENNIGAN: Thank you.