Lindsay Clancy's attorney asked a judge on Thursday to acquit her of charges that she killed her three young children, arguing that prosecutors lack sufficient evidence and that she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The motion seeks to prevent a second trial after 11 of 12 jurors were unable to reach a verdict last week, resulting in a mistrial.
Neither the defense nor the prosecution disputes that Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, strangled her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson, and 8-month-old son Callan in their home in 2023 before attempting to end her own life. The defense contends she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors maintain she was aware of her actions.
Under Massachusetts law, prosecutors must prove that a defendant either did not have a mental disease or defect, or that despite having one, they still possessed the capacity to understand the wrongfulness of their actions or conform their conduct to the law. Attorney Kevin Reddington argued that prosecutors failed to prove either element.
Reddington stated that all psychiatric experts, whether called by the prosecution or defense, agreed that Clancy had a mental illness. The dispute, he argued, was over which illness she had, not whether she had one.
Prosecutors had presented evidence of Clancy's actions in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the killings, including driving, planning a birthday party, and attending a doctor's appointment, as proof of her mental state. Reddington countered that "competence at routine tasks" during an "acute crisis" does not prove criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt.
The trial, which drew significant attention to maternal mental health, was described by the judge as emotionally and physically exhausting. Testimony included the 911 call made by the children's father upon discovering the bodies and detailed accounts of the children's deaths. Clancy, who remains paralyzed from the waist down after jumping from the second story of her home, is currently in a psychiatric hospital.
The judge is expected to consider the motion at a court conference scheduled for September 29. It remains unclear whether the Plymouth County District Attorney's office will seek to retry Clancy.