With jury deadlocked, Judge declares a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy's murder case

Lindsay Clancy and lawyer Kevin Reddington look at jurors as Judge William Sullivan instructs them to continue deliberations during Clancy's murder trial on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. Greg Derr/Pool The Patriot Ledger via AP hide caption

The judge has declared a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman charged with murdering her three young children in 2023. This came after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied the request of Clancy's defense attorney for an emergency appeal Friday.

After deliberating for six days, the jury told the judge they could not reach a verdict because one juror did not agree with the 11 others.

The judge said the jury's note read, "It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision, and we will not be able to." as WBUR reported.

The Supreme Judicial Court heard the case early Friday afternoon. The appeal asked that the court either excuse the juror who is allegedly refusing to follow instructions or inquire further to determine whether the juror can in fact follow the judge's instructions to correctly apply the law.

Clancy's lawyers wrote in the appeal that the holdout juror's "reasoning reflects a bias against those who suffer from debilitating mental illness."

Clancy, 36, was charged with strangling 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan, in the family's home in Duxbury, Mass. Her defense argued she should not be held criminally liable because she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis at the time, an approach often called the insanity defense . The prosecution argued Clancy was well enough to plan and act intentionally.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Judge William Sullivan to dismiss a holdout juror on Thursday. Reddington referenced two notes the jury foreperson sent the court about the juror, who, according to Reddington, admitted doubt but refused to join the other 11 jurors in finding Clancy not guilty .