Lindsay Clancy trial nears mistrial as defense gets one hour to appeal

A Massachusetts judge reportedly said he would declare a mistrial today after the jury deliberating the case of Lindsay Clancy failed for a third time to arrive at a final verdict.

Clancy, a Massachusetts mother, is accused in the 2023 deaths of her three young children. However, he gave Clancy’s defense lawyer one hour to ask a higher court to stop the mistrial.

Judge William Sullivan’s announcement came after receiving a third notification from the jury saying that it remained deadlocked.

In this connection, he told the court Friday morning, stating, “I am going to declare a mistrial at this point.”

Meanwhile, defense attorney Kevin Reddington struggled against a mistrial asking for an emergency from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

But Sullivan declined to recall the jury back Saturday to continue deliberations should Reddington win the appeal.

Under Massachusetts law, a judge can send a deadlock jury back to deliberate up to two times but not require further deliberations unless the juror's consent.

During the proceedings, defense closing arguments portrayed Clancy as a victim of systematic failures of maternal healthcare.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague further told the jury that the case was not about the mental health system or how it treats women.

Sprague acknowledged Clancy had mental health issues and was dealing with mental health issues.

In addition, during her sessions with Tufts, Clancy declined suicidal ideation to hurt someone else and showed no signs of psychosis.

Those kids were keeping her from ending her misery. And so, she had to remove the protective factor. … It was a choice.” Sprague continued.