PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A mistrial has been declared in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous decision.
Judge William F. Sullivan declared the mistrial Friday after the jury reported for a third time that it remained deadlocked. Jurors had spent approximately 36 hours deliberating over seven days.
The mistrial means this trial has ended without a verdict. Clancy has not been found guilty or not guilty.
A Last-Minute Appeal to Massachusetts’ Highest Court
Before the mistrial was finalized, Clancy’s defense made a last-minute attempt to stop it.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Sullivan for time to seek emergency intervention from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in Massachusetts.
Sullivan gave the defense one hour to make its request. The defense then filed an emergency petition asking the SJC to intervene in a dispute involving one of the jurors.
The emergency matter was heard by Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Dalila A. Wendlandt, acting as the court’s single justice.
The defense asked the SJC to require further questioning of the disputed juror or prevent that juror from continuing to deliberate unless the trial court determined that the juror was willing and able to follow the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt.
The SJC denied the defense’s emergency request. Judge Sullivan was then able to proceed with the mistrial.
What Was the Dispute Over the Juror?
The unusual legal fight developed after the jury foreperson sent the court a note concerning one member of the jury.
According to arguments made in court, the foreperson indicated that a juror had acknowledged doubt but was not applying that doubt to the verdict in the way the foreperson believed the law required.
Reddington argued that the juror was failing to properly follow the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt and sought additional questioning or removal of the juror.
Sullivan declined to remove the juror. He said he did not believe it was appropriate for him to take one side in the jury’s deliberations and noted that the jurors had affirmed that they could follow his instructions.
Prosecutors also opposed the defense’s request, arguing that the situation reflected a disagreement among jurors rather than established juror misconduct.
The following day, the jury again informed Sullivan that it could not reach a unanimous decision. That ultimately led to the mistrial.
What Does a Mistrial Mean?
A mistrial is not a guilty or not-guilty verdict.
It means this jury was unable to reach the unanimous decision required to resolve the case.
The mistrial also does not automatically end the criminal case against Clancy. Prosecutors could seek another trial, decide not to retry the case or potentially pursue another resolution.
The Case Against Lindsay Clancy
Clancy, 36, was charged with first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — at the family’s Duxbury, Massachusetts, home.
Clancy did not dispute that she killed the children. Instead, the central question at trial was whether she was criminally responsible for her actions.
Her defense argued that she was suffering from severe mental illness, including postpartum psychosis, and was not criminally responsible.
Prosecutors argued that although Clancy experienced mental-health problems, she knew right from wrong and acted deliberately.
After weeks of testimony and seven days of deliberations, the jury was unable to unanimously resolve that question.
The first trial has now ended without a verdict.
What Happens Next?
The mistrial does not necessarily mean the case is over.
The next major question is whether prosecutors will seek to try Clancy again.