US5 min(s) read
The woman behind a fundraiser that has raised more than $1.2 million for Lindsay Clancy's parents has revealed why she decided to launch the campaign despite having no personal connection to the family.
Brandee Mulligan, a 42-year-old Wisconsin mother of three, created the GoFundMe campaign last month to support Michael and Paula Musgrove, the parents of 36-year-old Clancy, who is accused of killing her three children.
Mulligan said she had never personally met Clancy, her estranged husband Patrick, or her parents before setting up the fundraiser. “They had no idea and they were just extremely grateful and overwhelmed by all the support,” Mulligan told The New York Post.
Explaining what prompted her to start the campaign, she admitted: “And as a mom, like your heart just goes out to Lindsay.”
However, Mulligan stressed that she did not want the fundraiser to be viewed solely as an effort to support Clancy herself.
“And I don’t want to focus too much on the Lindsay aspect of it. But I mean, it’s a huge part of it,” she said.
Discussing Clancy's parents, she added: “Her parents have uprooted their whole life for three and a half years. They’ve given everything to this.”
The 42-year-old has since spoken directly with Clancy's father and made him the sole beneficiary of the campaign.
The fundraiser, titled “The Musgrove Family Fund”, has attracted donations from more than 1,000 people, with Mulligan saying the majority of donors are women.
She also claimed that the money was primarily intended to help Michael, 70, and Paula, 73, with the costs associated with traveling between their Connecticut home and Plymouth, Massachusetts, where their daughter faced trial.
“They’ve been in hotels, they’ve depleted their savings, and they’re the ones that footed the bill for her legal things. They’ve been the ones supporting Lindsay,” Mulligan said.
Following the declaration of a mistrial on September 4, Mulligan increased the fundraiser's target from $2 million to $3 million, despite the campaign raising questions around the possibility that money given to Clancy's parents could indirectly benefit their daughter.
Massachusetts does not have a so-called Son of Sam law preventing people accused of crimes from receiving donated money that could potentially be used in connection with their defense.
However, Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, has previously said that “every nickel” spent on her defense had come from the Musgroves, who were “pretty much depleting everything they have” to pay the legal bills.
GoFundMe prohibits campaigns from paying for criminal defense in cases involving violent crimes. However, questions have been asked about how the platform would ensure funds given to Clancy's family could not ultimately be used for that purpose.
“Everybody’s very clear on what it can and can’t be used for. And the families, they know that,” Mulligan said.
The fundraiser is reportedly the only GoFundMe campaign publicly confirmed by the platform as being connected to the family.
Mulligan has also become an outspoken supporter of Clancy on social media, regularly posting videos and commentary about the case, even praising the jury's decision after the mistrial, saying: “This is truly a jury of her peers.”
She subsequently criticized the lone juror who had disagreed with the other members of the panel, describing him as “one total idiot … one f**king man.”
Some of the content Mulligan has shared has also questioned Patrick Clancy's involvement in the events surrounding the deaths of his three children.
One TikTok video she reposted featured a former prosecutor raising questions about apparent differences in Patrick's clothing in surveillance footage from two locations connected to his alibi, as well as whether investigators obtained phone records that could have corroborated his movements.
His attorney has since condemned what he described as an “escalating campaign of misinformation” involving online influencers, with the lawyer also warning that “every appropriate measure will be pursued to hold them accountable.”
When asked about the criticism of Patrick, Mulligan did not retract her previous comments, but told The Post: “I don’t have any comment on that.”
However, Mulligan says the response to the fundraiser has demonstrated how strongly the case has resonated with other parents, particularly mothers.
“Being a mom is hard, and it’s resonated with a lot of people all over the world. So many women. It’s incredible,” she said.
She also believes the case could prompt a wider discussion about the support available to mothers experiencing severe mental health difficulties.
“They tell moms to reach out and get help and then when you don’t get that, then what? And I hope that this case helps change that.”
Mulligan has herself faced significant criticism online over her support for Clancy.
She regularly shares hostile comments directed at her, including one accusing her of being “psychotic” for supporting Clancy.
Responding to the backlash, Mulligan said: “You’re setting women back decades.”
Clancy's parents, Michael and Paula Musgrove, have not responded to requests for comment.
