By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-18 17:53:05 | Updated at 2026-08-20 02:09:24
1 day ago
Lindsay Clancy's bow-wearing prosecutor is facing criticism for a brazen courtroom stunt and tense questioning of the slain children's grieving grandparents.
Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham is one of the two prosecutors from the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office working to prove that Clancy intentionally murdered her three children.
Clancy, 36, is on trial for killing her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 2023.
She strangled her children with exercise bands and then allegedly attempted to kill herself, but her efforts failed and left her paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair for life.
Buckingham and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague spent the first three weeks of the trial arguing the killings were intentional and well-planned, not the work of someone who had lost control, before they rested their case on Monday.
Clancy has admitted to killing her children but pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis, and is seeking to be committed to a state mental health facility rather than a prison sentence.
Buckingham has raised eyebrows throughout the trial as she has worn a bow in her hair each day in an apparent tribute to Cora, then subjected the children's grandparents to intense questioning.
Although she has not confirmed the reasoning, Buckingham has worn a bow in her hair every single day of the trial so far – black bows, pink bows, patterned bows.
Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham has raised eyebrows throughout the trial as she has worn a bow in her hair each day allegedly as a tribute to Cora
Buckingham and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague are arguing that Lindsay Clancy intentionally murdered her three children - Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan
Clancy strangled her children with exercise bands and then allegedly attempted to kill herself, but her efforts failed and left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life
Legal experts have questioned the ethics of the move, with many saying it is inappropriate.
In opening statements when Buckingham described the three children, she told jurors that Cora loved to wear bows.
On Tuesday, Buckingham provoked a tense exchange with Patrick Clancy's mother, Sue Clancy, as she was called to the stand to testify for the defense.
'Are you an active member in the Catholic church?' the prosecutor asked.
'Yes,' Sue answered.
'So you are aware that murder is considered a mortal sin,' Buckingham continued.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington quickly interjected: 'Objection!'
After a sidebar, the judge told the jury that the answer and question were stricken from the record, and that they should not consider them.
The exchange sparked fury online from critics who felt Buckingham went too far posing the religious question to the grieving grandmother.
Buckingham is also facing backlash for asking Patrick Clancy's mother, Sue Clancy, if she is aware that 'murder is considered a mortal sin,' when she testified for the defense
Although she has not confirmed the reasoning, Buckingham has worn a bow in her hair every single day of the trial so far – black bows, pink bows, patterned bows
'I screamed at my computer when I heard that! What the actual F,' one person wrote on X.
'My jaw broke off and fell onto the floor. not only completely out of the scope of cross. but disgustingly unethical behavior,' wrote another.
A third person added: 'Can you believe that? This poor woman still looks traumatized and I am sure the jury will NOT take that well. Gross.'
Buckingham, 45, has worked at the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office since 2011, according to her LinkedIn.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Stonehill College in 2003 and her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 2011.
Buckingham was then admitted to the Massachusetts bar on November 14, 2011, records show.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office for comment.
