Mistrial declared in Lindsay Clancy murder case

A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial Friday in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the former nurse accused of murdering her three young children, after jurors remained deadlocked following about a week of deliberations in a trial that drew national attention to postpartum mental health and criminal responsibility.

Judge William Sullivan dismissed the jury in Plymouth state court after the panel signaled three times that it could not reach a unanimous verdict. “At this point, I’m going to declare that the jury is deadlocked, and I’m going to declare a mistrial,” Sullivan told jurors, according to the BBC.

Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. She has not denied killing the children, but pleaded not guilty. Her lawyers argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible.

Prosecutors said Clancy strangled the children after sending her husband out of the house for food and medication, arguing that her actions showed planning and control. In opening statements, prosecutors said she “coldly and efficiently executed” the children with “no hesitation, with deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty,” The Guardian reported.

The defense said Clancy was psychotic at the time and had sought help before the killings. Attorney Kevin Reddington told jurors she was “suffering from psychosis” and had been prescribed multiple medications. “This is a young woman who, with her husband, tried very hard to get the help she needed,” he said. Defense psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick testified that Clancy was “frankly psychotic” on the day of the killings.

After killing the children, Clancy cut herself with a knife and jumped from a second-story window in what her lawyers described as a suicide attempt. She was left paralyzed, according to the BBC, and will remain held on the murder charges while staying in a mental health facility.

Jurors deliberated for more than 38 hours, according to The Guardian, and more than 40 hours over seven days, according to the BBC. CBS News reported the jury deliberated for 36 hours. The 12-person panel consisted of nine women and three men, and jury notes indicated an 11-to-1 split, The Guardian reported. It was not immediately clear what verdict the 11 jurors favored.

Before the mistrial was declared, Reddington asked Sullivan to remove a juror he said was not following instructions on reasonable doubt. Sullivan denied the request. Reddington then sought an emergency stay from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, asking that Sullivan be ordered to question the juror further and, if necessary, remove the juror from deliberations. The state’s highest court denied the petition.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said prosecutors had not decided whether to retry the case. “There will be no decisions made today,” he said. “This was and has always been about getting justice for those three little babies.” A status conference is scheduled for Sept. 29.

Reddington told reporters he believed the case would have ended differently without the holdout juror. “If we didn’t have that one individual, we would’ve had a verdict and we would be out of here,” he said. If there is a retrial, he said he would request that the jury be sequestered.

President Donald Trump also commented on the case Friday, calling it a “horrible tragedy.” Asked whether he had followed the trial, he said, “It’s on television so much, it’s hard not to follow it.” He added, “She did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” and said he assumed there would be another trial.