Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial in the deaths of her three young children ended without a verdict on September 4, 2026, after a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial amid a deadlocked jury — leaving prosecutors, the defense and the public wondering what comes next in one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country.
Clancy had been on trial for nearly seven weeks, accused of strangling her daughter and two sons — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan — inside her home in January 2023 before jumping from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Her defense team argued she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and should not be held criminally responsible. Prosecutors disputed that claim and claimed she knew exactly what she was doing.
After testimony from psychologists and more than 30 hours of deliberation across six and a half days, the jury remained split 11-1. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied the defense’s emergency appeal to stop it.
Here’s what a mistrial means, what the key players are saying and where the case goes from here.
What Is a Mistrial and Why Was One Declared in Lindsay Clancy’s Case?
A mistrial is what happens when a trial cannot reach a valid conclusion — most often, as in Clancy’s case, because jurors cannot agree unanimously on a verdict. When a jury is “hung,” or deadlocked, the judge has the authority to end the proceeding without a decision. The defendant is not acquitted, and prosecutors can choose whether to retry the case.
Judge Sullivan gave Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington one hour to seek an emergency stay from the state’s highest court before formally declaring the mistrial. That appeal was denied.
“Intervention is necessary in this case to avoid an avoidable mistrial of a case that is so time and labor intensive and that has captured so much public attention,” the defense argued in the emergency request, per NBC Boston. “It is also necessary to preserve the Defendant’s right to a fair trial by unbiased jurors applying the law and to avoid violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments and Article 114, which makes mental illness a protected category.”
Before dismissing the jury, Sullivan invoked Winston Churchill. “I always like that phrase, and I thought of that phrase when all of you were agreeing to be on this jury. You agreed to brace for that duty and each one of you knew how long the case was going to go, you knew how difficult the case was going to be to listen to, facts-wise. But still, you braced for that duty,” the judge said. He thanked jurors for their work, telling them, “You should be proud of what you did.”
Prosecutor Timothy J. Cruz Says ‘Children Were Murdered’
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz addressed reporters immediately after the mistrial, saying no decision had yet been made on whether to retry the case.
“I appreciate the hard work of the jury in this case,” Cruz said. “The jury obviously worked incredibly hard, stayed with that case for six and a half days.”
He kept the focus on the children. “In the end, I bring it all back to the child victims in this case, Cora, Dawson, and Callan. This was, and it has always been, about getting justice for those three little babies. We’re here at this courthouse today because those children are not.”
“Children were murdered and it’s our job to seek justice,” Cruz added. “I appreciate there are strong feelings and opinions tied to this case however our job is to set aside our opinions and focus on the facts. and the facts are that Lindsay Clancy killed her children.”
Cruz also pushed back on any broader framing of the trial. “This case is not about the health care system or how women are treated in it … those are all important issues, they stir up emotion and sometimes they stir up anger. This case, however, was about Lindsay Clancy and what she did January 24, 2023, and the cruel and calculated killing of three innocents.”
Kevin Reddington Blames a ‘Lone Juror’ for Deadlock
Reddington gave an emotional statement outside court, blasting Cruz and singling out the one juror who did not join the other 11 in a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict.
“Well, obviously this is not a time for gloating or bragging, expressing victory. It’s a very sad case,” Reddington said. “[Plymouth County District Attorney] Cruz knows that he was crushed, that he doesn’t have a case, he doesn’t have to stand here and say that he’s advocating on behalf of the victims and then look down to see what their names are.”
He described his client as “a fantastic, wonderful individual” who “stood tall — no pun intended, the poor thing is in a wheelchair as we all know for the rest of her life — sat there through seven weeks of a trial where nobody had anything bad to say about her except for the two prosecutors and apparently Tim Cruz.”
Reddington reserved his sharpest words for the holdout juror. “They know that they were robbed … he stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors who were so attentive … so wonderful … you could see how defeated they were sitting there. I have a funny feeling they would have gone on for another week. So I hope that guy can sleep at night.”
He said Clancy was “not good” after the mistrial, but praised her strength. “Lindsay is very very very strong, she is a very very intelligent young woman, very emotionally invested and just a classic example of a tragic … her life is a tragedy.”
Donald Trump Responds to Reddington’s Pardon Request
Days after the mistrial, Reddington took to the September 8, 2026, episode of Good Morning America to publicly ask President Donald Trump for a pardon. “Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady the type of person she is, what she’s been through and consider a pardon,” he said.
Trump responded on September 13, 2026, while in Ireland, telling reporters, “It’s a very sad situation. I, I certainly heard that. But, look — it’s a very sad, there is no winner there. There’s no, there’s no win, no matter what you do. It’s — three children are dead, so I don’t know.”
The president noted he could not pardon Clancy because it is “actually a state situation” and “not a federal” case. Asked whether he might contact Cruz, Trump said he had “heard from other people” that Reddington is “a very good attorney” but stopped short of committing. “I hope they can work it out. That’s something they have to work out. It’s a very sad — there is no win there.”
What Happens Next in Lindsay Clancy’s Case?
Clancy has now returned to Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been held since 2023. Another hearing has been scheduled for September 29, 2026, and Cruz has not yet said whether his office will pursue a retrial.
If a second jury were to convict Clancy, she would face life in prison without the possibility of parole. If a jury were to find her not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, she would be committed to a secure state mental health facility, likely for life.
If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
