A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial Friday in Lindsay Clancy’s murder case after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict and the state’s highest court rejected a last-minute defense effort to keep deliberations going.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Judge William Sullivan formally declared a mistrial Friday afternoon in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied an emergency defense request to intervene in the proceedings following several days of unsuccessful jury deliberations.
The declaration brought the lengthy trial to an inconclusive end after jurors reported they could not unanimously determine whether Clancy should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.
Clancy has acknowledged killing the children but has maintained that she should not be found criminally liable because she was legally insane at the time.
Sullivan initially indicated Friday morning that he intended to declare a mistrial after the jury remained deadlocked. He temporarily backed away from doing so, however, after defense attorney Kevin Reddington sought an opportunity to ask the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to halt the proceedings and address concerns surrounding the jury’s deliberations.
That effort failed Friday when a single justice of the state’s highest court rejected the defense request for an emergency stay following a hearing that lasted less than an hour.
Court proceedings then resumed before Sullivan on Friday afternoon, and the judge formally declared the mistrial.
Sullivan addressed the jurors after the decision and praised them for carrying out their responsibilities throughout the extended trial and deliberation process.
The defense’s request for intervention centered on a communication sent to the trial judge by the jury foreperson during deliberations.
According to the information presented in court, the foreperson expressed frustration with one member of the panel and said the juror was unwilling to properly apply the legal standard of reasonable doubt.
Reddington argued in his appeal that the circumstances raised concerns about whether the juror had demonstrated bias toward people with mental illness, an issue of particular significance because Clancy’s defense rested on her mental condition and her claim of lack of criminal responsibility.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declined to issue the requested stay, clearing the way for Sullivan to determine that the jury could not reach a unanimous decision and formally end the trial with a mistrial.
The outcome means the jury reached no verdict on the murder charges against Clancy.
The central dispute at trial was not whether Clancy caused the deaths of her children. She has admitted to the acts. Instead, jurors were asked to decide whether prosecutors proved criminal responsibility despite the defense contention that Clancy was legally insane when the killings occurred.
The case attracted substantial public attention outside the courtroom, particularly on social media, where groups of supporters — including women who identified with aspects of Clancy’s case — publicly rallied behind her and participated in online campaigns expressing support.
The intense public scrutiny also produced concerns surrounding the integrity and privacy of the jury.
The jurors were not sequestered during the trial, leaving them able to return home while proceedings continued.
Authorities arrested at least one person during the case on allegations involving photographs and video of jurors. That individual was charged in connection with recording members of the jury during the proceedings.
Those circumstances added another layer of scrutiny to a trial already centered on difficult questions involving murder, mental illness, legal insanity and criminal responsibility.
The proceedings ultimately ended Friday without jurors resolving those questions unanimously.
Sullivan’s decision followed a full day of procedural developments: his initial indication that a mistrial was imminent, the defense’s attempt to obtain emergency relief from Massachusetts’ highest court, the rejection of that request and the subsequent return to the trial court.
With the jury unable to reach agreement and the emergency stay denied, Sullivan formally discharged the unresolved trial as a mistrial Friday afternoon.
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