Lindsay Clancy seeks acquittal after murder mistrial

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer urged a Massachusetts judge Tuesday to acquit the US mother accused of murdering her three children after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case.

Clancy, 36, did not deny at trial strangling Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, but said she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible.

A jury of nine women and three men was unable this month to reach the unanimous decision required in US criminal proceedings, leading to a mistrial.

Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington told the court the case was based on speculation and asked the judge to enter a not-guilty verdict, which would effectively dismiss the case. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague rejected the insufficient-evidence claim as a “laughable argument”.

Judge William Sullivan adjourned the hearing until November 2 and raised the possibility of setting a new trial date depending on his ruling. He will also consider the defense request to release more information about seven days of jury deliberations.

Eleven jurors were in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, while one holdout opposed that outcome and has spoken publicly about being sure of her guilt. Prosecutors opposed further disclosures, saying they would have a chilling effect on the lone juror.

Clancy is being held at a psychiatric institution. Her lawyers said postpartum psychosis caused her to hear a voice ordering her to kill her children. Prosecutors rejected that argument, saying she carefully planned the killings and understood the consequences of her actions.

The killings happened at the family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. Afterward, Clancy cut her neck and wrists and jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.