Lindsay Clancy Returns to Court as Judge Weighs Acquittal After Mistrial
Lindsay Clancy returned to Plymouth Superior Court on 29 September 2026 for a status conference after the mistrial in her murder case. Judge William F Sullivan heard argument on a defense motion asking him to find Clancy, 36, not guilty of murder without a retrial. The Guardian
The proceeding was a status hearing on the defense request for a required finding of not guilty. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington filed the renewed motion in Plymouth Superior Court after the jury deadlocked. The motion asks the judge to acquit as a matter of law. That means Sullivan would rule the trial evidence cannot support a guilty verdict, so no second jury would be needed. CNN
Clancy pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder on insanity grounds. At trial she did not dispute that she fatally strangled her three children with exercise bands on 24 January 2023 in the family's suburban Boston home. The children were Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan. She maintains she killed them while suffering postpartum psychosis, a severe mental illness after childbirth, and is therefore not legally responsible. The Guardian
Sullivan declared a mistrial on 4 September due to a deadlocked jury. A single juror prevented the 12-member jury from reaching a unanimous verdict on whether Clancy was guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity. Several jurors have said 11 of 12 jurors favored finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity. The vote was 11 to 1.
In his motion, Reddington stated that 11 of the 12 jurors had been prepared to find Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. The deadlock followed earlier disputes over deliberations. The defense had sought removal of a juror accused of refusing to follow the law on reasonable doubt, and Clancy's lawyer urged the judge to question 'Juror Doe'. Reuters
She remains charged with murder after the mistrial and could face a second trial. Sullivan set a further hearing for 2 November to discuss potential upcoming trial dates. Prosecutors requested a gag order against Reddington, an order limiting what he can say publicly, to be considered at the 2 November hearing. The office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not disclosed whether it plans to retry Clancy. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Clancy would be committed to a Massachusetts state psychiatric hospital subject to regular court re-evaluation. The Guardian
In my view, the court now holds two separate questions in parallel. One is legal sufficiency, whether the trial evidence permits Sullivan to enter an acquittal without sending the case to a second jury. The other is case management, whether and when to schedule a retrial while the prosecution weighs its position. The reported 11 to 1 division does not decide either question by itself, but it shapes the choices around them. A required finding turns on the judge's assessment of the evidence, not a count of prior jurors. A retrial decision will test how both sides weigh the cost and uncertainty of asking a new panel to resolve criminal responsibility. The gag order request adds a third question, over what counsel may say publicly before the November date.
