The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, has ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, with her defense attorney identifying a single holdout juror as the cause.
Clancy admitted to strangling her children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months – at their Duxbury home in January 2023. She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with her defense team arguing she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
After deliberating for nearly 38 hours over several days, the 12-person jury submitted a note to Judge William Sullivan on Friday stating they could not reach a unanimous decision. This was the third time the panel, composed of nine women and three men, reported being deadlocked.
Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, expressed frustration with the outcome, directing sharp criticism at the juror he believes was unwilling to agree with the rest of the panel. "I hope that guy can sleep at night," Reddington told reporters following the mistrial declaration. He characterized the holdout juror as the reason his client was "robbed" of a not-guilty verdict.
Reddington had made a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court, asking them to investigate the juror's ability to apply the law, alleging bias against individuals with debilitating mental illness. He argued in his filing that the mistrial was avoidable if the court intervened, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act and suggesting the juror's position was intractable regardless of the evidence presented.
Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has been using a wheelchair since the incident. She appeared detached as Judge Sullivan declared the mistrial, while some female jurors were seen weeping.
Following the mistrial, Reddington suggested that District Attorney Tim Cruz "doesn't have a case" and would likely lose if he pursued a retrial. He indicated that Clancy, currently at Tewksbury Hospital, was "not good" but would be ready for a new trial, which could occur in the fall.
The ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, Patrick Clancy, issued a statement through his lawyer expressing relief that the trial had ended but dreading the prospect of a retrial. "The loss of Patrick’s children is something from which he will never recover and from which there will never be closure," the statement read, adding that reliving the tragedy would be "extraordinarily painful."
Judge Sullivan issued an order for the jurors' identities to remain undisclosed for at least 14 days, citing concerns over social media reactions to the case.
Prosecutors now have the option to retry Clancy with a new jury or offer a plea deal. A hearing is scheduled for September 29 to determine the next steps.