Clancy Returns to Court After Mistrial as Retrial Remains Unclear

A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial on September 4 after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict, and Clancy is due back in court Tuesday as her defense seeks to end the case without a retrial. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will try her again. The hearing before Judge William Sullivan is expected to address defense motions challenging the mistrial and asking the court to find Clancy not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility. The defense argues that the judge should not have declared a mistrial without further questioning a juror whose position prevented a unanimous verdict, and says another trial would violate protections against double jeopardy. The judge’s rulings and the prosecution’s decision could shape whether the case proceeds to another trial or takes a different course. Clancy, 36, admitted at trial that she killed her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023. Her lawyers argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible. The jury deliberated for weeks before reporting that it was deadlocked.