Deadlocked Jury in Lindsay Clancy Trial Returns for Seventh Day

Jurors in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children, are back in court for a seventh day of deliberations after telling the judge they remain deadlocked. The jury's foreperson disclosed in a note on Thursday that a single juror is unwilling to follow the court's instructions on reasonable doubt, offering the clearest sign yet of the obstacle to a verdict.

Judge William Sullivan responded by questioning each juror individually in private, then re-read his instructions on reasonable doubt before sending them back to continue deliberating. The jury has already twice reported being unable to reach an agreement.

Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, asked the judge to dismiss the juror in question, arguing the person had refused to follow instructions. Prosecutors objected, and the judge declined to remove the juror, saying it would be improper to side with either the lone juror or the other eleven. He noted the juror had sworn to follow the law.

For the first time in the trial, Clancy was brought to a sidebar conversation with the judge. She is paralyzed from the waist down after a suicide attempt and uses a wheelchair, which her lawyer pushed to the front of the courtroom. Reddington later told reporters that Clancy had a right to know what was happening.

Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, does not deny strangling her children — Cora, Dawson, and Callan, aged 5, 3, and 8 months — in the basement of their home in 2023 before attempting to take her own life. Her defense argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors contend she knew what she was doing. They point to her sending her husband on errands to get him out of the house and have questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt.

The trial has drawn intense public interest, with the courtroom packed and the proceedings livestreamed. The case has sparked debate over maternal mental health and criminal responsibility.

If the jury remains unable to reach a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then decide whether to retry Clancy, drop the charges, or negotiate a plea deal. If convicted, she could face murder or manslaughter charges. If acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation finds she poses a danger to the public.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for the U.S. suicide and crisis lifeline.