Republican Representative Nancy Mace has called for Lindsay Clancy, who is awaiting a potential retrial in the murder of her three young children, to be publicly executed. The South Carolina congresswoman stated that Clancy, 36, should be put to death as a deterrent.
Clancy admitted to strangling her children—Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months—with exercise bands in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023, before attempting suicide. Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis due to being overmedicated. However, a jury of nine women and three men failed to reach a unanimous verdict after nearly six weeks of deliberation, resulting in a mistrial earlier this month. A single juror reportedly had reasonable doubt but did not agree to an insanity verdict.
Mace, speaking to TMZ, expressed little sympathy for Clancy's defense, stating, "Her children are dead, she should be dead too." The congresswoman added, "She should get the death penalty. It should be public, it should be a public execution." Mace suggested methods such as "firearm" or "electric chair," and commented that such an execution would serve as a "warning to women everywhere that you don’t kill your kids."
Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, has filed a motion asking the judge to enter a finding of not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, arguing that prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence to prove Clancy's criminal responsibility. Judge William Sullivan had previously denied similar motions during the trial.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not yet announced whether the prosecution will pursue a retrial. Following the mistrial, Cruz stated his office remains focused on the victims, telling reporters, "We’re here at at this courthouse today because those children are not." A court hearing is scheduled for September 29 at Plymouth Superior Court to address the latest motion and determine the next steps. Clancy remains in a psychiatric facility.
Reddington also appealed to former President Donald Trump for a pardon, despite the fact that Clancy faces state, not federal, charges. Trump commented on the case, acknowledging that Clancy "did a horrible, horrible thing" and that "there will be a price to pay," adding it would likely involve "a mental institution or jail or something."