Judge William Sullivan on Tuesday conducted a hearing regarding the Lindsay Clancy case to determine if the defense may include a last-minute addition to their witness list.
The individual in question is Emily Thorndike, a licensed clinical social worker and TikTok user who previously worked at McLean Hospital, the Bedford psychiatric facility where Clancy admitted herself on December 31, 2022, just weeks prior to her attempt to harm her three children.
Thorndike spent over seven years at McLean in the same unit as Clancy, although she departed a year before Clancy's admission.
Thorndike has been actively monitoring and sharing videos regarding the Clancy trial on TikTok, offering a markedly different depiction of McLean Hospital than that presented by the prosecutors.
Lindsay Clancy attorney files to have Thorndike testify
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington filed a motion last week to have Thorndike testify as a witness after discovering her TikTok videos. He is of the opinion that she can speak to the conditions at McLean, particularly in relation to staffing levels during a holiday.
{{/usCountry}}Defense attorney Kevin Reddington filed a motion last week to have Thorndike testify as a witness after discovering her TikTok videos. He is of the opinion that she can speak to the conditions at McLean, particularly in relation to staffing levels during a holiday.
{{/usCountry}}"Ms. Thorndike's testimony would be limited to her experience and observations of the routine policies, staffing structure, clinical roles, patient care practice and operation of the short term unit as personally observed during her employment at McLean," Reddington wrote in his motion, as per NBC Boston.
"Ms. Thorndike was incensed over the cross-examination of Patrick Clancy wherein the prosecutor intimated that McLean Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the country and that Lindsay Clancy was offered a number of therapeutic and counselling type interventions while at McLean from December 31, 2022 through Jan. 4, 2023. Ms. Thorndike would like to testify to the actual facts of the staffing and lack of resources during weekend and holiday periods as well as the repeated use of clay, coloring books and purported group therapy sessions, supervised by unqualified individuals who no psychiatric or social work experience."
Reddington stated in his motion that he ought to be permitted to introduce rebuttal evidence against the prosecution's depiction of McLean Hospital “as being a five star facility, bending over backward to, in effect, provide Lindsay with appropriate counselling, therapy and treatment while she was there for the shorter stay prior to her discharge after being cleared by the management at McLean Hospital.”
Reddington says Clancy doesn't harbor any grievances against McLean
Before the testimony commenced on Tuesday, Sullivan permitted Reddington to present his argument for why Thorndike should be permitted to testify, while also allowing the prosecutors to argue against her inclusion as a last-minute witness.
Reddington informed the judge that he had thoroughly vetted Thorndike and does not believe she harbors any grievances against McLean. In fact, he mentioned that she still maintains friendships with individuals who are currently employed there.
"This woman posted a video on TikTok," Reddington stated. He mentioned that he dispatched a private investigator from his office to reach out to her after he viewed her video expressing her inability to tolerate “the lies and misrepresentations' about the hospital.”
Reddington mentioned that he ultimately had a conversation with Thorndike, who is now willing to provide testimony regarding an employee's observations spanning seven years, particularly concerning staffing during holidays such as New Year's, when Clancy was present at McLean.
He stated that jurors have been led to believe that McLean "was this wonderful place," which he contended is not accurate.
The prosecution opposed the motion due to the late notification and their belief that the individual does not qualify as an expert. They also expressed concerns that Thorndike has been monitoring the trial and sharing her views on TikTok, which may influence her perspective on the proceedings. Furthermore, they pointed out that she was not at McLean during Clancy's tenure and lacks direct knowledge of the case itself.
Here's what Judge William Sullivan said
Sullivan said that if he permits Thorndike to provide testimony, it would solely pertain to staffing concerns during holidays, rather than her general opinions regarding the trial.
The judge stated that he would consider the issue, but expressed a tendency to conduct a voir dire of Thorndike or another witness who has not observed the trial but may possess relevant information about holiday staffing levels at McLean.
In a recent broadcast of NBC10 Boston's "Commonwealth Confidential", defense lawyer Morjieta Derisier stated that she considers it highly likely that Sullivan will grant Thorndike the opportunity to testify.