Judge declares mistrial in us Lindsay Clancy trial after jury fails to reach verdict over killing of her three children
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Judge declares mistrial in us Lindsay Clancy trial after jury fails to reach verdict over killing of her three children")
Lindsay Clancy looks on as jurors (out of frame) enter the courtroom during Clancy's murder trial at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on September 4, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
A US judge declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case after the jury deadlocked 11-1 over whether her mental condition made her legally responsible for the deaths of her three children.
A US judge has declared a mistrial in the closely watched case of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her three young children in Massachusetts. Judge William Sullivan announced the decision on Friday after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. However, he delayed the mistrial for one hour to give Clancy’s defence team time to challenge the decision before a higher court.
The jury remained split 11-1, with 11 jurors apparently supporting a verdict that would find Clancy not guilty because of her mental condition.
Jurors informed the judge that they could not reach an agreement. In a note sent to the court, they said they had reached the decision with a “heavy heart”.
Clancy, 36, has never denied strangling her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was eight months old. Her defence argues that she suffered from postpartum psychosis when the killings happened and therefore should not face criminal responsibility.
Under US law, all 12 jurors must agree on a verdict in the case. If they fail to reach an agreement, the judge can declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to bring the case back to court with a new jury.
In American law, a mistrial is a trial that is ended before a verdict is reached and is declared void due to an error, misconduct, or an inability of the jury to reach a decision.
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The trial lasted five weeks and was broadcast on television. More than 80 witnesses appeared in court, while jurors heard extensive testimony about the killings and Clancy’s mental health.
The case has also drawn wider attention in the US to mental health problems that can affect women after childbirth.
Clancy pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. She has told the court that she heard a voice instructing her to kill her children.
Her lawyers have argued that postpartum psychosis caused her to act that way. Experts who testified during the trial said the condition affects about one to two women in every 1,000 births.
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Children killed at family home
The killings took place at the family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023.
After the deaths, Clancy jumped from a second-floor window in what appeared to be an attempt to take her own life. The fall left her paralysed from the waist down.
If another jury finds Clancy guilty of first-degree murder, she could receive life in prison without parole.
Jurors could also find her guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter. Another possible outcome would be a finding that she was not legally responsible for the deaths because of her mental condition. That decision could lead to her being confined to a psychiatric facility.
