Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial has ended in a mistrial following a jury deadlock.
Jurors had considered the case during portions of more than five days. The five-week Lindsay Clancy trial centred on her criminal responsibility.
However, after hours of deliberations, the jury were still deadlocked on whether Clancy had murdered her children.
Clancy is accused of murder after strangling her three young children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, 8 months, in 2023.
What the Lindsay Clancy mistrial means for the case
“At this point, I’m going to declare that the jury is deadlocked, and I’m going to declare a mistrial,” Judge William Sullivan told the jury on Friday, discharging them.
A mistrial being declared means the prosecution could either refile and restart with a new jury or negotiate a plea agreement. Or, prosecutors could dismiss the charges altogether.
After Judge Sullivan declared a mistrial, the attorneys and the judge worked out some legal proceedings regarding a new trial.
They decided to return on September 29 at 9am.
Clancy does not deny killing her children but pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder. Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and could not be criminally responsible for her children’s deaths.
Prosecutors acknowledged Clancy’s mental health struggles. However, they argued she acted intentionally and knew right from wrong.
The trial brought testimony from more than 80 witnesses across five weeks.
Clancy did not testify. Jurors instead heard passages from her journal, including: “I want help. I want to be well.”
How jurors reached an impasse in Lindsay Clancy’s trial
Over the past few days, the jury has repeatedly told the court it could not agree on a unanimous verdict. Its final note said: “With a heavy heart, we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision. We will not be able to.”
Earlier on Friday (September 4), Judge Sullivan said: “I have no choice but to declare a mistrial.”
However, Clancy’s lawyer Reddington asked the judge to delay declaring a mistrial for an hour while he filed an emergency appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. His request was granted by the judge.
However, the appeal was denied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
It comes after, earlier this week, Judge Sullivan had urged jurors to reconsider their positions and try once more to agree. Another jury message appeared to indicate that one member remained unconvinced.
The defence asked the judge to remove that juror, but he refused. He found no indication that the juror had rejected the law.
Jurors could choose among the following verdicts: not guilty by reason of insanity, not guilty, first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter.
None of those outcomes won unanimous backing.
Patrick Clancy describes events and Lindsay’s mental health
Clancy’s ex-husband Patrick Clancy testified earlier in the trial. On the day of his children’s deaths, Patrick claimed that he left home to collect dinner and medicine. He came back within an hour and found his wife in the backyard. He then discovered the children in the basement.
Doctors pronounced two children dead that day. The youngest died in hospital three days later.
Patrick described Clancy’s mental health difficulties after childbirth and her contact with treatment services. He recalled Clancy discussing intrusive thoughts about harming the children and herself.
However, Patrick said he did not believe she intended to act on those thoughts.
On the day of her children’s deaths, Clancy jumped from a second-storey window. The fall left her paralysed from the waist down.
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