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Judge's ruling could clear the way for Lindsay Clancy to be tried again in the deaths of her three kids
Confirmed
In Short: A Massachusetts judge has denied Lindsay Clancy's motion to dismiss her triple-murder case, potentially clearing the way for a retrial.
Lindsay Clancy appeared via Zoom from Tewksbury Hospital for a hearing in Plymouth Superior Court.
Lindsay Clancy trial judge rejects motion to dismiss, will not impose gag order. CBS Boston
A judge on Monday denied Lindsay Clancy's motion to dismiss her triple-murder case, clearing the way for a potential retrial, according to ABC News, Boston Herald, and KFOX.
Judge William Sullivan ruled that a retrial would not violate Clancy's constitutional protection against double jeopardy, as the jury's deadlock created a 'manifest necessity' for the mistrial, as reported by Newsweek and the Boston Herald.
Clancy's defense team argued that the judge should have removed the one juror who favored conviction and allowed deliberations to continue, but Sullivan disagreed, denying Clancy's motion to question the holdout juror and examine court records related to the juror's service, as per NBC Boston and the BBC.
During the first trial, prosecutors argued that Clancy deliberately strangled her three children with exercise bands, while Clancy's defense team maintained she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis at the time, as reported by the Seattle Times and Newsweek.
Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, expressed hope for an agreement between the defense and the district attorney, while prosecutors have not yet announced their plans for retrying the case, as reported by ABC News and the Seattle Times.
Judge Sullivan said he would like the new trial to begin in March 2027, though prosecutors have not yet confirmed their plans, as per ABC News and the Boston Herald.
Clancy is due back in court on Nov. 16, when Judge Sullivan will schedule a trial date for the Massachusetts mother.
Patrick Clancy's legal team has issued a statement calling for an end to conspiracy theories about the case that have spread largely on social media, as reported by ABC News and Eonline.
What this adds
The judge's ruling follows Clancy's defense team's request to dismiss the case after the 12-person jury in her September trial failed to reach a verdict.
Background
A Massachusetts judge has denied Lindsay Clancy's motion to dismiss her murder case, potentially clearing the way for a retrial.
Lindsay Clancy's lawyers urged Judge William Sullivan to dismiss her first-degree murder charges, arguing that retrying her would violate her constitutional rights.
What's confirmed
- A judge on Monday denied Lindsay Clancy's motion to dismiss her triple-murder case, clearing the way for a potential retrial.
- Judge Sullivan said he would like the new trial to begin in March 2027, though prosecutors have not yet announced their plans for retrying the case.
- Judge previously said Clancy could face new trial in March 2027 Clancy is due back in court on Nov. 16, when Judge Sullivan said he plans to schedule a trial date for the Massachusetts mother.
- "Because the Court concludes that there was a manifest necessity for a mistrial based on the jury's deadlock, a retrial on the murder indictments does not violate Clancy's right not to be placed in double jeopardy," Judge William Sullivan wrote.
- Lindsay Clancy has lost her bid to toss her triple murder case, as a judge ruled that a retrial can move forward.
- In a 17-page ruling, Judge William Sullivan said he properly declared a mistrial in early September after the jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of an acquittal.
- They argued that the judge should have removed the one juror who favored conviction, then allowed jury deliberations to continue.
- A judge has denied a motion to dismiss the murder case against Lindsay Clancy, potentially clearing the way for her to be retried next year in the deaths of her three young children.
- A judge declared a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a verdict.
- In the motion to dismiss, one of Clancy’s lawyers, Martin Weinberg, argued that the judge should have thoroughly interrogated jurors after the foreperson sent two notes saying the one juror who favored conviction wasn’t following the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt.
- Because the jurors failed to unanimously agree on whether the prosecution had proved Clancy was guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt" as required by US law, the judge declared a mistrial on 4 September, which means that she was neither found guilty nor not guilty.
- The BBC's Ione Wells on how the Lindsay Clancy trial gripped America - and ultimately fell apart A Massachusetts judge has denied a motion to dismiss the murder case against Lindsay Clancy, the US woman accused of killing her three children.
What's still developing
- Veteran Boston defense attorney Peter Elikann told Fox News Digital the Plymouth County DA is known for rarely cutting plea deals, but Lindsay Clancy's case, after an 11-1 deadlock, could be the "exception."
- 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.
- Jurors had remained deadlocked on the decision over six days of deliberation with Judge Sullivan even giving them Tuey-Rodriguez instructions on Sept. 2.
- Clancy has acknowledged killing her children in 2023, but her lawyers argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis Lindsay Clancy is returning to court on Monday to seek dismissal of murder charges over the deaths of her three young children, following a mistrial in September.
- Her lawyers argued that Judge William Sullivan, who presided over the 26-day jury trial last summer, acted prematurely when he declared a mistrial on 4 September, saying that he should have sought a viable alternative.
- The judge's ruling follows her defence team's request to dismiss the case after the 12-person jury in her September trial failed to reach a verdict.
- He said the defence failed to demonstrate that the records were needed for Clancy's defence at any retrial, and that questioning the juror "would have been impermissibly coercive".
- The ruling clears the way for prosecutors to pursue the case.
- Prosecutors said they intend to retry Clancy, but they haven’t settled on whether they will pursue the same charges or opt for a reduced charge that might be more palatable for the jury.
- Judge William Sullivan said he would take a motion for a required finding of not guilty under advisement and did not issue a ruling Tuesday.
- EN ESPAÑOL | Declaran juicio nulo en el caso de Lindsay Clancy tras jurado no alcanzar veredicto The deliberations took a dramatic turn late in the week when the judge said he was going to declare a mistrial Friday before suddenly changing course and giving her defense attorney a chance to appeal to the top court in Massachusetts.
- You can find more of our reporting on the mistrial of Massachusetts mother who killed her three children here: Full report: Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy case Explained: Lindsay Clancy mistrial – what happens next?