Lindsay Clancy Returns to Court as Judge Weighs Second Trial in Children's Killings

Lindsay Clancy is scheduled to appear in a Plymouth, Massachusetts, courtroom on Tuesday for her first hearing since her murder trial ended in a mistrial on September 4. The proceeding could shape whether she faces a second trial in the killings of her three children.

A judge declared the mistrial after jurors deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of acquittal on murder charges. Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has never disputed that she killed the children. Her defense has argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis, a rare condition that left her delusional and not criminally responsible for her actions.

Prosecutors acknowledged Clancy had mental health problems, including months of treatment and a stay in a psychiatric hospital, but contended she knew what she was doing when she strangled the children and then attempted to take her own life in 2023.

Several defense motions could be taken up at Tuesday's hearing. Clancy's attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the criminal case outright rather than hold a new trial. They argue the judge should have removed the lone juror who favored a murder conviction after the jury foreperson said he refused to follow the law on reasonable doubt.

The defense has also requested an investigation into that juror's truthfulness on a pre-trial questionnaire, his answers when questioned by the judge a day before the trial ended, and whether he violated court rules by using a cellphone during deliberations.

The hearing may also clarify whether prosecutors intend to pursue a second trial. They could retry Clancy on first-degree murder charges, proceed only on lesser charges such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, or drop the case. After the mistrial, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz told reporters his goal had always been "getting justice for those three little babies."

Prosecutors said Clancy acted deliberately when she strangled 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan with exercise bands. They said she arranged to have her husband leave the house on January 24, 2023, by sending him to pick up medicine for one of the children and dinner for the family.

The livestreamed trial drew intense public interest and focused attention on maternal mental health after childbirth. Clancy's lawyer said she should not be held criminally responsible because of postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

Clancy remains charged with murder and is expected to stay at a psychiatric hospital until her case is resolved. She has been paralyzed from the waist down since jumping from a second-story window after strangling her children. A murder conviction could have carried a life sentence, while an acquittal could have led the judge to order her confined to a mental health facility.

_If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988._