Jury deadlocks in Massachusetts mother’s murder trial

Plymouth, United States. The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman charged with strangling her three children, ended in a mistrial on Friday after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Prosecutors have not decided whether to retry the case.

Mistrial declared

Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after jurors remained deadlocked despite receiving multiple instructions to continue deliberations.

A mistrial ends the proceedings without a verdict but does not end the case. Prosecutors may begin a new trial with another jury.

Charges and defence

Clancy, 36, is charged with first-degree murder over the deaths of her three children, who were strangled with exercise bands at the family home in Duxbury, a Boston suburb, in 2023.

Her lawyer does not dispute that Clancy killed the children but has argued that she was experiencing a psychotic episode. The televised trial prompted debate in the United States over postpartum mental health treatment and the legal handling of cases involving mothers who kill their children.

Clancy, a former labour and delivery nurse, faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, she could be committed to a state psychiatric hospital.

Next steps

Clancy was confined at a state psychiatric hospital before and during the trial and would remain in custody if the case proceeds to a second trial.

Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said after the mistrial that no decision had been made on whether prosecutors would seek a retrial.

Both sides could also pursue a plea agreement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of another trial. Any agreement would require court approval.