The closely watched murder trial of Lindsay Clancy ended without a verdict Friday after jurors remained deadlocked following seven days of deliberations.
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan formally declared a mistrial after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied an emergency request from Clancy’s defense team. The last-minute appeal briefly delayed the ruling, but the state’s highest court ultimately declined to intervene.
The 12-person jury, consisting of nine women and three men, deliberated for approximately 38 hours but could not reach the unanimous decision required under Massachusetts law.
Jury notes indicated that the panel was split 11 to 1, with a single holdout preventing a verdict. As Sullivan thanked the jurors for their service and dismissed them, several reportedly bowed their heads.
The final development came after jurors informed Sullivan for a third time that they could not agree on whether Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her three young children.
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING — IT’S OFFICIAL: Lindsay Clancy judge DECLARES MISTRIAL, has just informed the deadlocked jury after one man held out
THE LONE MALE JUROR HELD OUT STRONG!! 👏🏻👏🏻
He’s now thanking them for their deliberations.
God bless that LAW AND ORDER PATRIOT. pic.twitter.com/KN1I3YvqUI
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 4, 2026
Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, has admitted to strangling five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan inside the family’s Duxbury home on January 24, 2023.
The primary dispute throughout the trial was not whether Clancy killed the children, but whether she could legally be held responsible for her actions.
Her attorneys argued that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and had lost touch with reality. Prosecutors maintained that Clancy understood right from wrong and deliberately arranged to be alone with the children by sending her husband out to pick up medication and food.
The five-week trial included testimony from more than 80 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits. Jurors were allowed to consider several possible outcomes, including murder, manslaughter or a finding that Clancy was not guilty because she lacked criminal responsibility.
Tensions inside the courtroom escalated during the final days of deliberations after the jury foreperson reportedly said one juror was refusing to follow Sullivan’s instructions concerning reasonable doubt.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Sullivan to question or remove the alleged holdout. The judge refused, saying he would not investigate the juror’s deliberations further.
After jurors again reported Friday that they remained deadlocked, Sullivan announced that he intended to declare a mistrial. Reddington requested a brief delay and filed an emergency petition with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
The defense wanted the higher court to order Sullivan to question or remove the holdout juror before bringing the proceedings to an end. Once that emergency request was denied, Sullivan formally declared the mistrial and released the jury.
The ruling ends the current trial but does not dismiss the charges against Clancy or produce an acquittal. Prosecutors may now pursue another trial before a newly selected jury, negotiate a plea agreement with the defense or decide not to move forward with the case.
No immediate decision concerning a possible retrial was announced Friday.
