After seven days and roughly 38 hours of deliberation, the jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial sent out a note that ended the case without answering the question it was asked to answer: "It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision, and we will not be able to."
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Friday, closing out — for now — one of the most closely watched criminal trials in Massachusetts in years.
One Juror, Eleven Others
According to Clancy's defense attorney, the panel of twelve — nine women, three men — was split 11 to 1 in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Massachusetts law requires unanimity; a single holdout was enough to prevent any verdict at all.
The judge had already delivered the "Tuey-Rodriguez" instruction — a standard, last-resort charge asking a deadlocked jury to weigh the reasonableness of every juror's position and try again — before ultimately concluding the panel was hopelessly stuck.
Children were murdered, and it is our job to seek justice.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz
What the Case Was About
Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, does not dispute that she strangled her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — in the basement of their Duxbury home in 2023. The trial turned entirely on her mental state: prosecutors argued she acted "intentionally, rationally, and swiftly," while her defense argued severe postpartum psychosis meant she could not be held criminally responsible for what happened.
What Happens Now
Clancy remains held at a state psychiatric hospital, where she has been since 2023. District Attorney Cruz has said his office will decide "shortly" whether to retry the case — an outcome legal analysts say is the most likely path, though a plea to lesser charges or dropped charges both remain possible. A hearing is set for September 29, where the defense is expected to formally ask the judge to enter a not-guilty finding — a request considered unlikely to succeed.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has indicated he may also pursue a federal double jeopardy appeal, arguing Clancy should not face a second trial on the same charges.
