Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy murder case after 11 to 1 jury deadlock
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan dissolved the jury after seven days of deliberations produced an unresolvable 11 to 1 split, leaving prosecutors to decide whether to retry the case.
Deadlock in Plymouth Superior Court
On Friday, 4 September 2026, Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial in the prosecution of Lindsay Clancy after a twelve-member jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The panel deadlocked after roughly 36 hours of closed-door deliberations spread over seven days in Plymouth Superior Court. Deliberations had commenced on Thursday of the prior week, with jurors first reporting an inability to reach consensus on Wednesday. The formal mistrial order concluded a six-week trial in which more than 80 witnesses presented testimony regarding the January 2023 incident.
Judge Sullivan briefly paused proceedings for one hour to allow the defense an opportunity to respond before issuing the formal dismissal of the jury.
I have no other choice but to declare the trial void.
Jury division and defense motions
Court communications revealed that the deadlock stemmed from an 11 to 1 split among the twelve jurors. Eleven members supported finding Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility due to mental disturbance, while one juror refused to depart from a vote for criminal conviction.
- Lack of criminal responsibility
- 11 jurors
- Criminal conviction
- 1 jurors
Tensions inside the courtroom surfaced on Thursday, when defense attorney Kevin Reddington formally requested the removal and replacement of the single holdout juror. Reddington argued that the juror refused to follow the law and disregarded direct judicial instructions. Judge Sullivan denied the motion, re-read the jury instructions in open court, and sent the panel back to deliberate before declaring the mistrial on Friday afternoon.
Defense arguments and medical claims
Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse who uses a wheelchair due to paraplegia, faced charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter. The charges stem from the deaths of her three children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan, who were strangled with exercise resistance bands at the family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. Clancy subsequently jumped from a second-floor window in an attempt to end her life.
At trial, Clancy admitted to carrying out the physical acts but pleaded not guilty, claiming severe postpartum psychosis. She told evaluators that a voice commanded her to kill the children. The defense presented testimony from psychiatrists, relatives, and her husband, who described her acute mental suffering. Prosecutors argued that Clancy deliberately planned the killings and retained the capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions. Outside the courthouse, groups of supporters gathered throughout the six weeks to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis, a condition that women's advocacy groups note affects one to two women per 1,000 births.
Procedural options and upcoming hearing
The declaration of a mistrial leaves the criminal charges fully active without triggering Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy protections, which require a formal acquittal. Clancy remains held in hospital custody while the Plymouth County District Attorney's office evaluates whether to impanel a new jury for a second trial.
- Three Clancy children die in Duxbury and Lindsay Clancy survives a suicide jump
- Jury reports its first deadlock after days of closed-door deliberations
- Judge denies a defense request to dismiss and replace the holdout juror
- Judge William Sullivan declares a mistrial following seven days of deliberations
- Court schedules a hearing on defense motions for a direct finding of not guilty
Prosecutors must now decide between several avenues: trying the case again, negotiating a plea agreement such as an admission of manslaughter, requesting a change of venue to another state court, or dismissing the case entirely. Judge Sullivan scheduled the next court hearing for 29 September 2026. At that session, defense attorney Reddington plans to petition the court for a direct finding of not guilty under Massachusetts state law.
