Patrick Clancy says his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, has never asked him to forgive her for killing their three young children. But amid unimaginable grief, he decided to forgive her anyway.

In an emotional interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes”, Patrick opened up about the January 2023 deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. Lindsay killed the children at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home before attempting to take her own life. Her attorneys have argued that she had postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for the killings.

Patrick told correspondent Ross Douthat that he believes mental illness was responsible for what happened, pushing back against descriptions of Lindsay as a “monster.”

“I believe that it was her mental illness that caused that,” Patrick said. He explained that forgiveness also became part of his own struggle to survive the aftermath. “If I didn’t get there, I would be eaten up inside forever.”

When Douthat asked whether Lindsay had ever sought his forgiveness, Patrick gave a strikingly simple response.

“No, but I gave it to her.”

Patrick also revealed that he once asked Lindsay whether she remembered killing their children. According to Patrick, she told him the experience was “like a dream,” and that she remembered it much like someone might recall a dream after waking.

The Catholic father also spoke about his final days with Callan. Cora and Dawson died at the family’s home, while Callan was taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, where his heart continued beating for four days. Patrick said he initially held out hope that his youngest child would survive.

“I got to hold him. I got to lay down next to him,” Patrick recalled. “And he died in my arms.”

Months later, Patrick marked what would have been Callan’s first birthday by visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. He lit a candle for his son and offered a simple message: “I love you, buddy.” After leaving the cathedral, he broke down crying as he walked along Fifth Avenue.

Patrick said his grief became so overwhelming that there was a period when he did not expect to live to see his 35th birthday. Over time, he sought help from experts and survivors connected to postpartum mental health and eventually moved to New York. He has since remarried, and he and his wife, Dr. Rachel Danis, told “60 Minutes” they are starting a family.

Lindsay’s murder trial ended in a mistrial earlier this month after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether she was criminally responsible for the killings. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will retry the case.

For Patrick, however, the public debate surrounding the case remains secondary to remembering Cora, Dawson and Callan — and finding a way to continue living while carrying their loss.

“I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time,” he said. “And I live with the outcome. I live with it every day.”