2.Sarah Carney — Direct/Cross/Redirect
193 linesMS. BUCKINGHAM: The Commonwealth would call Sarah Carney, please.
THE COURT: Good morning, ma'am. Stop right there. Raise your right hand, please.
COURT CLERK: Good morning. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
SARAH CARNEY: I do.
COURT CLERK: You may have a seat, ma'am.
THE COURT: Watch your step, please.
THE COURT: All right. Good morning.
SARAH CARNEY: Good morning.
THE COURT: Hi. All right. Counsel.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you. Good morning.
SARAH CARNEY: Good morning.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Could you please tell the jurors your first and last name?
SARAH CARNEY: Sure. Sarah Carney.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how do you spell your first name?
SARAH CARNEY: S-A-R-A-H.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And the last name?
SARAH CARNEY: C-A-R-N-E-Y.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what city or town do you live in?
SARAH CARNEY: Duxbury, Massachusetts.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And are you married?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And who's your husband?
SARAH CARNEY: Kyle Carney.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And do you have children?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: How old are your children?
SARAH CARNEY: Five and two.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Do you know the Clancy family?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how do you know them?
SARAH CARNEY: Went to school with Pat and then met Lindsay later.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And so when you say you went to school with Pat, fair to say you went to Salve?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you know Pat before school?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you become friends with him in school?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: When you graduated from college, did you remain friends with Patrick?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And is your husband also a friend of Patrick's?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did they meet at college or just someplace else?
SARAH CARNEY: In college.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: At some point, did you come to know Lindsay Clancy?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And do you remember approximately when you were introduced to her?
SARAH CARNEY: A few years after college, maybe 12, 13 years ago.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And where were you living then when you first met her?
SARAH CARNEY: Boston.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. How about Pat? Was he living in Boston as well?
SARAH CARNEY: I believe so.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what was your relationship like with Patrick after college? Were you close?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes, friends. Close.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And as he began a relationship with Lindsay, did you become friendly with her?
SARAH CARNEY: Yeah.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you have that same relationship with Lindsay that you had with Pat?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: As time passed on, did your families remain friendly?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And eventually, both your families ended up living in the same town in Duxbury, correct?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: What was the relationship like between your families, starting in 2019?
SARAH CARNEY: Close, friendly. Went to the beach together. You know, had them over at our house, went to their house, that kinda thing.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And as the Clancys start having children and you started having children, did that remain throughout?
SARAH CARNEY: Yeah, probably fewer times just 'cause we're all busy, but yeah.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And were you around after each of the Clancy children were born, meaning after Cora was born, you were still part of Patrick's life?
SARAH CARNEY: Yeah.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you notice any changes in Lindsay after Cora was born?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And how about Dawson, when Dawson came along? Did you notice any changes in Lindsay after Dawson was born?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And then Callan, who was born in May of 2022, were you still friendly with them and still doing those trips and going to each other's houses—
SARAH CARNEY: Yep.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: ... beach trips?
SARAH CARNEY: Yep.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So did you notice anything different about Lindsay after Callan was born?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Do you recall observing Lindsay or seeing Lindsay when she was pregnant with Callan?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Fair to say she was a pretty active person?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And even in pregnancy, being very pregnant, she was physically active?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Do you recall what kind of exercise she did, or seeing her exercise or...?
SARAH CARNEY: I remember her posting videos of her exercising, and the kids were in the background.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And where would the exercising happen? Could you tell where it was in their house?
SARAH CARNEY: I'm not sure.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Have you been inside their house before?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: So you know that they had the living room area on the first floor and basement area was finished?
SARAH CARNEY: After those two moves, the living room, I've never been to the basement.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. So what did... In that video, what did you observe the kids doing in the background?
SARAH CARNEY: Playing on the couch, playing with toys.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And when you observed this video, fair to say it was kind of like a Beachbody-type exercise?
SARAH CARNEY: Sure. I'm not sure what that means.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you see any equipment in the video, like, workout equipment?
SARAH CARNEY: I don't recall.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Do you recall previously indicating that you saw the kids playing with exercise bands in the videos?
SARAH CARNEY: Sure, if that's what I said. I don't recall.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Now, I'm drawing your attention to the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2022. Were you still going to the beach and getting together with the Clancys?
SARAH CARNEY: I believe so, yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Other than going to the beach, what other kinds of activities would you invite them to do with your family?
SARAH CARNEY: They probably came over to our house once or twice.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Throughout the course of the fall of 2022, did you notice any changes in Lindsay's physical health?
SARAH CARNEY: I think I saw her one time at drop-off, and she just seemed thinner, more frail.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: You seemed... I'm sorry.
SARAH CARNEY: Thinner.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. Did you ever have a conversation with her at drop-off about your observations?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: How about just observing her overall demeanor, did you notice anything change about her in the fall into the winter of 2022?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you ever have any conversations with her about what, postpartum depression or sleep issues?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And I'm gonna draw your attention to January 22nd, 2023. That was a weekend. Do you recall that weekend?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you have something happening at your house that your family invited the Clancys to?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes. We had a bonfire.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And who came from the Clancy family to the bonfire?
SARAH CARNEY: Pat, Lindsay, Cora, and Dawson.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Where was Callan, if you know?
SARAH CARNEY: At home with Lindsay's parents.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you have the occasion to speak with Lindsay on that day?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And fair to say prior to that day, you hadn't really seen her much that winter?
SARAH CARNEY: Correct.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Were you happy to see her that day?
SARAH CARNEY: Yeah.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what were your observations of her that day, her demeanor? Did she seem normal or off or...?
SARAH CARNEY: Just quiet, but fairly normal.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Did you have the occasion to speak with her, just you and her?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And was that outside at the bonfire or somewhere else in your house?
SARAH CARNEY: In the kitchen.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you ask her anything?
SARAH CARNEY: I was talking to her about my children, my daughter's allergies, and then I... The conversation lulled, and I asked her how she was doing.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And what did she tell you?
SARAH CARNEY: Good.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And did you have any further conversation or ask any follow-up questions?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Why didn't you follow up?
SARAH CARNEY: Because I figured if she wanted to explain or deep dive into it, she would. Wasn't gonna press her.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And, but on this occasion, she just said, “Fine,” and you kind of moved on to the next topic?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: And throughout the course of that day or that afternoon that you were with her, did you notice anything change about how she was communicating with you? Like, did she start to talk faster or seem confused in any way?
SARAH CARNEY: No.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Was there anything that happened at that interaction that made them abruptly leave?
SARAH CARNEY: No. I think it was, like, nap time for the kids.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Okay. And was that the last time you saw or talked to Lindsay?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Nothing further, thank you.
THE COURT: All right. Mr. Reddington.
MR. REDDINGTON: Good morning.
MR. REDDINGTON: So, what was the timeframe that you knew Lindsay, not Patrick? I know you were very friendly with Patrick.
SARAH CARNEY: Yep.
MR. REDDINGTON: What was the timeframe that you knew Lindsay?
SARAH CARNEY: 12-ish. 12 years.
MR. REDDINGTON: And would you say that you were close to her? Were you social or how, how—
SARAH CARNEY: Social.
MR. REDDINGTON: Social.
SARAH CARNEY: Yep.
MR. REDDINGTON: And on occasion, you had the opportunity to be in their house, the upstairs portion of it, that you indicated never in the basement or the office area, right?
SARAH CARNEY: Right. Just the kitchen level.
MR. REDDINGTON: Okay. Can you tell us, like, in the fall of '22, approximately how many times you and your husband, Kyle, saw Lindsay and her husband, Pat, together, not Kyle with Pat or you with Pat?
SARAH CARNEY: I think it was just the one time at drop-off.
MR. REDDINGTON: One time at drop-off. Okay. You had occasion to ask her advice about the babies and things of that nature on occasion, did you not?
SARAH CARNEY: Yep, yep.
MR. REDDINGTON: She was always helpful to you or forthcoming?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes, yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And this, the last time you saw her on January 22nd, this was a bonfire. Is that what it was?
SARAH CARNEY: Yep.
MR. REDDINGTON: And that was where? In your backyard?
SARAH CARNEY: In our backyard.
MR. REDDINGTON: Was it in the daytime or the nighttime?
SARAH CARNEY: Around lunchtime.
MR. REDDINGTON: Lunchtime. And do you recall how long they were there for the bonfire?
SARAH CARNEY: A few hours.
MR. REDDINGTON: And they were there with the two older kids, and Callan was home with her parents, right?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And she appeared to be quiet to you?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: And she appeared, to your observation, around that timeframe to be thinner than what you had seen before?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MR. REDDINGTON: But you'd agree with me that you guys weren't that close that she would confide in you, correct?
SARAH CARNEY: Correct.
MR. REDDINGTON: That's all I have. Thank you, ma'am.
SARAH CARNEY: Yeah.
THE COURT: All right. Any redirect?
MS. BUCKINGHAM: As far as your observations of Lindsay over the course of twelve years, fair to say she was always quiet with you?
SARAH CARNEY: Yes.
MS. BUCKINGHAM: Thank you. That's perfect.
THE COURT: All right. Thank you, ma'am. You may step down. Thank you.
SARAH CARNEY: Thank you.
THE COURT: Commonwealth.