Lindsay Clancy is set to appear in court again on November 2 as prosecutors and defense attorneys negotiate a new trial date after a September mistrial in the 2023 murder of her three children. The hearing will address pending motions and the possibility of a second trial.
Court Battle Continues
Jurors deadlocked 11‑1 in favor of an insanity acquittal, forcing Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial. The split vote prevented a unanimous verdict.
Prosecutors have not announced whether they will pursue a second trial, and defense attorney Kevin Reddington said he cannot schedule a trial before June 2027. He also filed motions seeking to free Clancy, one of which was rejected.
In early October, Sullivan denied a defense request to release Clancy, ruling that the state had not presented sufficient evidence to support the murder charge. The denial marked a shift in Reddington’s strategy.
Reddington previously argued that Clancy suffered from postpartum psychosis and was heavily medicated when she allegedly strangled her children, then attempted suicide. She survived the fall but was left paralyzed.
At a September 29 hearing, Reddington claimed there was no evidence Clancy committed the killings and suggested she may be experiencing false memories. He also asserted that double jeopardy bars a retrial.
Prosecutors plan to file a motion to bar prejudicial, extrajudicial statements after Reddington disparaged the lone juror who held out during deliberations. The juror, the only Black person among three male deliberators, faced harassment and threats.
His family reported being followed, receiving notes, and being forced into a secure location. The juror’s brother told The New York Post that they cannot leave the house.
Sullivan also rejected a defense motion to investigate the juror, refusing to examine his phone records or question his questionnaire responses. The judge said such probing would be inappropriate.
Before the mistrial on September 4, Sullivan allowed the defense to request an emergency hearing with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In a brief Zoom session, the defense asked the state’s highest court to remove the holdout juror or assess his ability to apply the law, and the court declined the request. Jill McLaughlin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
