The closely-watched Lindsay Clancy trial ends with one last dramatic moment

The closely-watched Lindsay Clancy trial ends with one last dramatic moment 1 of 5 | Defense attorney Kevin Reddington and defendant Lindsay Clancy listen to Judge William Sullivan speak with the jury after declaring a mistrial at court in Plymouth, Mass., on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) 2 of 5 | Lindsay Clancy sits as her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, asks for a one-hour stay to appeal after the jury in Clancy’s murder trial indicated it was unable to reach a verdict Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) 3 of 5 | Lindsay Clancy sits as her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, asks for a one-hour stay to appeal after the jury in Clancy’s murder trial indicated it was unable to reach a verdict Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) 4 of 5 | Judge William Sullivan addresses the lawyers during jury deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) 5 of 5 | Defendant Lindsay Clancy watches jurors enter the courtroom during her murder trial on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) By Philip Marcelo and Sudhin Thanawala Updated 2:45 AM MESZ, September 5, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit The closely watched case of the Massachusetts mother who killed her three young children was on the verge of being declared a mistrial Friday — but there was still one more dramatic moment to come. After weeks of grueling testimony, the jury could not get beyond an impasse on the seventh day of deliberations on murder charges against Lindsay Clancy. An audible gasp was heard in the courtroom as Judge William F. Sullivan said he was going to to end their deliberations without reaching a verdict. But just as the jurors were about to come back to the courtroom, Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer asked to make a last-minute request for a higher court to stave off the mistrial. That kicked off a tense wait while a judge on the state’s top court considered the ask. The whiplash moment was one last piece of courtroom drama in a livestreamed trial that captivated and divided many across the nation. And now prosecutors must decide whether to do it all over again with a second trial. Ultimately on Friday, the high court denied the defense attorney’s appeal and the judge formally declared a mistrial later in the afternoon. Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, blamed a lone juror for the impasse. Defense attorneys argued in their written petition that the person had revealed a possible bias against those dealing with mental illness. Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, never disputed that she killed her children, but her attorney said she was experiencing a rare condition called postpartum psychosis when she strangled her kids, the youngest just 8 months old, and then tried to take her own life in 2023. Prosecutors said Clancy knew what she was doing and should be held criminally responsible. A mistrial is declared in the murder case against Lindsay Clancy. Here’s what could happen next 5 MIN READ Key moments in the Lindsay Clancy case: the 911 call, mental health care, mistrial 5 MIN READ mistrial is declared in Lindsay Clancy child killings case after jury deadlocks 5 MIN READ The jury foreperson had previously told Sullivan that a single juror wouldn’t follow the court’s instruction about reasonable doubt, according to Reddington. In their last-minute appeal, Clancy’s lawyers had argued the juror should, at minimum, be questioned more thoroughly by the judge, or even dismissed outright before a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors responded that there was nothing in the jury’s notes indicating the juror in question had “a lack of impartiality, bias, extraneous influence, or inability to deliberate.” Jurors had heard competing expert testimony about Clancy’s mental health. Massachusetts defense attorney Joseph Perullo, who was not involved in the case, said it was “clear cut” for him, but he acknowledged that jurors could have difficulties. “It’s clear that Lindsay had a psychotic break, and the psychotic break led her to kill her children,” he said. “But the prosecution can tell you that she sent her husband off for errands and therefore she is criminally responsible.” Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said after the mistrial was declared there would not be an immediate decision on whether to go forward with a second trial. Perullo said he is hopeful prosecutors will speak to Patrick Clancy, the children’s father, and other family. “It is a tremendous stress on them to do it again, and it’s going to be an even bigger circus,” he said. But Crystal Lyons, a former prosecutor in Massachusetts, believes prosecutors don’t have the option not to retry Lindsay Clancy. “At the end of the day, it was a tragedy where there were three young children who lost their lives,” she said. Philip Marcelo Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto