Mistrial Declared in Lindsay Clancy Child Murders Case After Jury Deadlock

PLYMOUTH, Mass. – A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial Friday in the high-profile case of Lindsay Clancy, the former labor and delivery nurse accused of strangling her three young children, after a jury deadlocked following seven days of deliberations .

The dramatic development came after the defense's last-minute emergency appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) was denied . Judge William Sullivan formally declared the mistrial Friday afternoon, telling the jury, "Members of the jury, at this point, I'm going to declare that the jury is deadlocked and I'm going to declare a mistrial" .

Clancy, 36, does not deny killing her children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—with exercise bands in the basement of their Duxbury home in January 2023 . Her defense team, led by veteran attorney Kevin Reddington, argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for her actions . Prosecutors maintained she knew what she was doing .

The Path to a Mistrial

The jury had sent multiple notes to the judge indicating they were deadlocked, including a message from the foreperson suggesting that one juror was refusing to follow the court's instructions on reasonable doubt . According to the note, the juror had "acknowledged doubt" but was refusing to apply it "as the law states" .

Reddington argued this was not simply a disagreement among jurors, but a refusal to follow the law, and requested that Judge Sullivan question or remove the holdout juror . "There's a person who has doubt but will not listen to the judge's instruction," Reddington told reporters Thursday .

Judge Sullivan declined to remove the juror, and on Friday, he indicated he would declare a mistrial before granting the defense a one-hour window to file an emergency appeal with the SJC . After the SJC denied the appeal, the mistrial was declared .

Defense Attorney's Response

Speaking outside the courthouse after the mistrial, Reddington expressed frustration, suggesting his client was "robbed" by the lone holdout juror . "They know they were robbed by one man, for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors that were so attentive, so beautiful, so wonderful," Reddington said .

Reddington described Clancy as "a fantastic, wonderful individual" and said her current state of mind was "not good," adding that "she grieves the loss of those three children" . He also confirmed he is prepared for a possible retrial, noting, "If they come back with a verdict, we'll see what it is. If they don't, I'm ready to try it next week" .

What Happens Next

A mistrial leaves the case unresolved, and prosecutors must now decide whether to seek a retrial . Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said no decision would be made on Friday regarding a retrial . "I will let you know that there will be no decisions made today regarding that," Cruz told reporters. "I'm going to be meeting with our team, and we will address this case further at the appropriate time" .

Judge Sullivan has scheduled a status hearing for September 29 to determine the next steps in the case . Clancy's defense has also indicated they may file a Rule 25(b)(2) motion, which would allow the judge to review the case and potentially enter a finding of not guilty, bypassing the need for a retrial .

The case had drawn national attention and sparked debate about postpartum psychosis and criminal responsibility. A mistrial does not signify guilt or innocence; it simply means the first trial ended without a final verdict .