PLYMOUTH, Mass. — There is no verdict in the Lindsay Clancy case. On Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial after jurors reported they could not reach a unanimous decision on whether the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse was criminally responsible for killing her three children.
The 12-person jury, nine women and three men, deliberated about 36 hours over seven days. They told the court more than once they were stuck. A note Friday morning said, “It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to.” Defense attorney Kevin Reddington said the split was 11-1, with most jurors prepared to find Clancy not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility. The judge declined to remove the holdout juror. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied an emergency stay, Sullivan formally ended the trial and discharged the panel.
Clancy has not denied that she strangled 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan with exercise bands in the basement of the family’s Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023, then cut her wrists and neck and jumped from a second-story window. The fall left her paralyzed from the waist down. Prosecutors argued she planned the killings, sent her then-husband Patrick Clancy out for takeout and a pharmacy stop, and knew right from wrong. The defense said she was overmedicated and in the grip of postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder, and therefore lacked criminal responsibility under Massachusetts law. The case is in Massachusetts, not Ohio. Double jeopardy does not bar a retrial after a hung-jury mistrial.
Key dates and what happened
• Jan. 24, 2023: The children are killed. Clancy is found outside after jumping. Callan is later removed from life support.
• 2023–2025: Clancy is held at Tewksbury State Hospital. She is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. A change-of-venue request is denied. Trial is set for summer 2026.
• July 20, 2026: Jury selection begins. The court seats 18 jurors, including six alternates.
• July 27: Opening statements. Prosecution describes planning. Defense admits the acts and argues lack of criminal responsibility.
• Late July–early August: Patrick Clancy, first responders, ER doctors, and medical examiners testify. The jury views the home, CVS, and restaurant. Autopsies confirm ligature strangulation.
• Mid-August: Treating psychiatrists and nurse practitioners describe depression, insomnia, medication changes, and high postpartum screening scores. Digital evidence includes searches and maps. Friends and family describe a devoted mother whose condition worsened.
• Aug. 17–21: Defense case. Experts including forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick testify that Clancy was psychotic and acting under command hallucinations. Chaplain testimony is offered on statements Clancy made after she was extubated. Defense rests.
• Aug. 24–26: Prosecution rebuttal. Experts including psychologist Dr. Kirk Heilbrun testify she was criminally responsible. A defense mistrial request over a remark about faith is denied.
• Aug. 27 (trial day 22): Closings. Jury of nine women and three men begins deliberations after instructions that include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, and not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility.
• Aug. 28: First full deliberation day. Jurors ask to see pill bottles and the knife used in the suicide attempt. They go home for the weekend.
• Aug. 31–Sept. 1: Deliberations continue. Jury reports it cannot agree. Judge sends them back.
• Sept. 2: Second deadlock note. Judge gives the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction and orders more work. A woman is charged with jury intimidation after allegedly filming jurors.
• Sept. 3: Foreperson note describes a holdout who “acknowledges doubt but refuses to apply it.” Judge questions jurors individually. Defense asks to remove the holdout. Request denied.
• Sept. 4: Third deadlock note. Judge says he intends to declare a mistrial, grants one hour for an emergency SJC appeal, the appeal is denied, and the mistrial is declared. Jurors are thanked and discharged.
What happens next
Clancy remains in custody at Tewksbury State Hospital under the same pretrial conditions. She is not released. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said there would be no immediate decision on a second trial. Cruz can retry the first-degree murder charges, consider lesser charges, explore a plea, or decline to retry. First-degree murder in Massachusetts requires a jury. A lesser charge could open other options. Reddington has said he would try the case again if asked, though he also said Clancy is not emotionally prepared for another trial. Both sides may speak with discharged jurors. A status date is expected as the DA’s office reviews the record.
The physical acts were largely undisputed. The legal fight was over whether Clancy appreciated the wrongfulness of those acts. That question is still open.
