Photo: GREG DERR / AFP / Getty Images
A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial Friday (September 4) in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder case after jurors told the court they could not reach a unanimous verdict. The deadlock came after days of intense deliberation over whether Lindsay Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three young children in 2023. Judge William Sullivan read the jury’s note aloud, stating, "It is with a heavy heart that we report, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to." The panel had already received additional instructions on reasonable doubt and was sent back for further deliberations before the mistrial was called.
The mistrial means the case returns to its original status, with Clancy still facing murder charges and remaining in psychiatric custody. Prosecutors now must decide whether to retry the case, seek a plea agreement, or drop the charges. Before formally declaring the mistrial, Judge Sullivan granted Clancy’s defense team a one-hour stay to appeal the decision, following a request by defense attorney Kevin Reddington.
Later in the day, Judge Sullivan denied Reddington's appeal to have the jury continue deliberations without one of the jurors who was reportedly causing the deadlock. He then called the jury back into the courtroom and dismissed them.
“You knew how difficult the case was going to be to listen to, facts-wise, but still you braced for that duty,” Sullivan told the jurors.
“And I just kind of wanted to also let you know I watched every day, day after day, week after week, all of you performing that duty that you braced for, and I just kind of wanted to let you know I understood how hard everybody worked in this case."
Clancy’s trial drew national attention and sparked heated public debate about maternal mental health. Her defense argued that postpartum psychosis drove her actions, while prosecutors insisted Clancy was aware of her actions when she killed her children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan, then aged five, three, and eight months. Medical experts for both sides gave conflicting testimony on her mental state, and the case was closely followed through livestreams and packed courtrooms.
If prosecutors choose to retry the case, a new jury will be selected and a new trial date set. Alternatively, a plea deal could be negotiated, or the charges could be dropped entirely, depending on the district attorney’s decision. If convicted at a future trial, Clancy could face life in prison; if acquitted, she may still be confined to a mental health facility if found to pose a danger to herself or the public.