Clancy’s Lawyer, Kevin Reddington, Became a Hero to Her Supporters
New York Times · LC · trust 55/100
The themes present in Lindsay Clancy’s trial are not unfamiliar to Mr. Reddington, a veteran defense lawyer.
Listen · 2:18 min Share full article Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer, speaking to reporters outside Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass. Credit... Joseph Prezioso/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Jenna Russell
But if the social media embrace of Mr. Reddington is new, his interest in mental health defenses, and the concerns of female defendants, are not. His long career has touched on similar themes before, including in a milestone Massachusetts case more than 30 years ago, when he became the first lawyer to win an acquittal by arguing that battered women’s syndrome could cause temporary insanity.
Mr. Reddington, 75, also defended Catherine Greig, the longtime girlfriend of the notorious Boston gangster James (Whitey) Bulger, when she was charged with harboring a fugitive. Mr. Bulger’s lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., is a friend of Mr. Reddington’s who has popped into court to watch him work Ms. Clancy’s case.
Mr. Reddington, who is based in Brockton, Mass., a working-class city, was brought on to represent Ms. Clancy almost immediately after she killed her children in 2023 by strangling them with exercise bands. In court, he described visiting the crime scene with her former husband, Patrick Clancy, when blood from her suicide attempt just after the killings still stained the bedroom floor. He recalled gazing down at her in her hospital bed soon after her surgery for her spinal injury and wondering, “What kind of demons, what kind of horror, was in her mind?”
His courtroom demeanor often suggested that of an aggrieved grandfather, as he clutched Ms. Clancy’s hand in moments of emotional distress and referred to her repeatedly as “this young lady.”
At the start of his closing argument last week, Mr. Reddington’s voice was quiet as he spoke the names of the three Clancy children: Cora, Dawson, Callan.
He grew louder as he turned his focus to Ms. Clancy. “This is a prosecution,” he said, “that has ripped the soul out of this girl.”
Jenna Russell is the lead reporter covering New England for The Times. She is based near Boston.
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