Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial ended in a mistrial on Friday after her defence lawyer accused a lone juror of blocking what appeared to be a near-unanimous not-guilty verdict.
Kevin Reddington condemned the unnamed juror outside Plymouth County Superior Court, claiming the panel had been “robbed” after seven days of deliberations. The jury had been considering whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children.
“They know they were robbed by one man, for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors,” Mr Reddington said. “So I hope that guy can sleep well at night.”
The jury’s foreperson had told Judge William Sullivan that one member had acknowledged having doubts but refused to apply the legal test of reasonable doubt to the verdict. The apparent split was reported to be 11 to one.
Mr Reddington asked the judge to remove the juror or question him further, arguing that he had failed to follow the court’s instructions. But Judge Sullivan rejected the request, saying there was no evidence of bias or improper outside influence and that jurors were required to apply the law as instructed.
The 12-member jury later sent a note saying: “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.” The judge then declared a mistrial.
Mr Reddington made a last-minute attempt to delay the decision and appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The appeal was rejected on Friday afternoon, clearing the way for the mistrial to be formally recorded.
Clancy, 36, remains charged with murder and is expected to return to Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been held since 2023. She has not denied strangling her children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, but her lawyers argued that she was not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Prosecutors said Clancy understood her actions and had planned the killings. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said his office would decide soon whether to seek a retrial.
A hearing has been scheduled for September 29, when Mr Reddington is expected to ask the court to find Clancy not guilty. Prosecutors could instead pursue a second trial, negotiate a plea deal or abandon the case.
