Brandee Mulligan, a 42-year-old Wisconsin mother of three with a TikTok following, has raised more than $1.2 million for Lindsay Clancy’s parents through a GoFundMe she launched without ever speaking to the family beforehand. After Clancy’s murder trial ended in a mistrial on September 4, Mulligan raised the campaign’s goal to $3 million — a move that’s drawn scrutiny given Massachusetts has no law preventing donated funds from ultimately supporting Clancy’s legal defense.
Somewhere between a viral act of kindness and a genuine legal gray area sits a GoFundMe page called “The Musgrove Family Fund” — and the woman who built it has never met the family she’s raising money for.
A Stranger Steps In
Brandee Mulligan has no affiliation with Lindsay Clancy, Clancy’s ex-husband Patrick, or Clancy’s parents, Michael and Paula Musgrove. She set up the fundraiser last month without contacting any of them first.
“They had no idea and they were just extremely grateful and overwhelmed by all the support,” Mulligan told The Post.
Mulligan eventually connected with Lindsay’s father and, after that conversation, made him the fundraiser’s sole beneficiary. By her account, the family remained unaware the campaign existed until it was already underway — and was stunned by how much support poured in.
Mulligan says her motivation came from watching what Clancy’s parents have endured since their daughter’s arrest and prosecution — describing a family that uprooted their lives and drained their finances to stand by her through the case. As a mother herself, she said she felt she had to do something.
The Goal Jumps to $3 Million
The fundraiser had already climbed past $1.2 million when Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial on September 4, after Judge William Sullivan determined jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Mulligan responded by raising the campaign’s goal to $3 million, explaining in a Friday update that the mistrial meant legal proceedings — and the costs that come with them — were far from over.
A Legal Gray Area
Here’s where the story gets complicated. Massachusetts is one of 23 states without a so-called “Son of Sam” law — legislation that, in states which have it, generally prevents people accused or convicted of crimes from financially benefiting from the notoriety of those crimes. Without that law in place, money donated to Clancy’s parents could, in theory, eventually make its way to Lindsay or help cover costs tied to her legal defense.
Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, has previously said the Musgroves have been funding their daughter’s defense entirely on their own, “pretty much depleting everything they have” in the process, and that every dollar spent on her defense has come directly from her parents.
GoFundMe’s own rules prohibit campaigns from being used to pay for a criminal defense against violent crime charges. But according to The Post, the platform has repeatedly declined to answer questions about what safeguards, if any, it has in place to actually enforce that rule here.
Mulligan, for her part, says there’s no ambiguity on the ground.
“Everybody’s very clear on what it can and can’t be used for. And the families, they know that,” she said.
The Mulligan-run campaign is reportedly the only fundraiser GoFundMe has publicly confirmed as being connected to Clancy’s family.
A Public Face — and a Target
Since the mistrial, Mulligan has stayed vocal on social media, praising the jury as representative of Clancy’s peers while sharply criticizing the lone male juror whose refusal to change his vote led to the deadlocked outcome. That advocacy has made her something of a public figure in her own right — and drawn plenty of backlash along with the support.
Mulligan says she regularly shares the criticism she receives, including messages calling her “psychotic” for supporting a woman accused of killing her three young children. Her response has been unapologetic.
“You’re setting women back decades,” she said of her critics.
She frames her involvement as bigger than one case. “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. “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.”
Michael and Paula Musgrove have not returned requests for comment.
