A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children faces an uncertain outcome after jurors deadlocked twice during deliberations in her murder trial, court proceedings showed.
Lindsay Clancy lived with her family in Duxbury prior to her arrest and trial before Judge William Sullivan.
The murder trial centers on dueling accounts of what drove the mother to strangle her young children inside their home, according to court testimony.
On Jan. 24, 2023, Clancy allegedly used exercise bands to strangle her children before throwing herself out of a second-story window, prosecutors said.
The children were identified as Cora Clancy, Callan Clancy, and Dawson Clancy.
Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington argued that the mother was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, worsened by myriad prescription medications.
Reddington claimed the defendant heard a man’s voice instructing her to kill the children and herself. Prosecutors, however, countered that Clancy had carefully planned the killings.
Clancy allegedly sent her then-husband to pick up medication at CVS and take-out from a local restaurant so she could commit the crimes, prosecutors said.
The 12-person jury weighing the charges is composed of nine women and three men, court records show.
Deliberations began on a Thursday afternoon, and the panel has since sent four separate notes to the judge.
The first note arrived on Aug. 28, marking the first full day of deliberations. Jurors asked in that note to inspect the knife Clancy used to harm herself after killing the children, court records show.
Two subsequent notes followed on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to court proceedings.
In those notes, the panel told the court that jurors were deadlocked and could not reach a unanimous verdict.
On Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, the panel delivered a fourth note to Judge Sullivan.
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Reddington revealed that the foreperson sent the note, claiming a single juror “refuses to follow the law” on judicial instructions regarding reasonable doubt.
Sullivan questioned each of the jurors one by one at sidebar after receiving the foreperson’s communication, court records show. The defense attorney moved to have the panelist removed from the jury, but Sullivan denied the request.
On Friday morning, Sept. 4, 2026, Reddington made another bid in court before deliberations resumed for the day.
The defense attorney argued for the judge to grill the juror individually, revealing the holdout panelist was a man.
Reddington accused the juror of lying on Thursday when Sullivan questioned all twelve panelists one by one. The defense attorney maintained the juror “refuses to listen to the law.”
Sullivan shot down the request during a heated debate in which the judge appeared to grow frustrated with Reddington. The defense attorney had sought to boot the holdout juror and replace him with an alternate, but Sullivan struck that bid down.
The high-profile murder trial could now conclude in several different legal outcomes, court proceedings show.
A conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, according to Massachusetts sentencing guidelines.
A conviction for second-degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Under a lesser charge, Clancy could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years per count.
Under another potential outcome, Clancy would stay in a mental hospital and receive treatment until doctors deem her no longer a threat to herself or others.
Sullivan has noted from the bench that Clancy could one day go free under that determination. The judge did not specify how long such hospital treatment could take.
If the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, Sullivan could declare a mistrial in the proceeding. Reddington said he expects prosecutors to pursue a second trial against Clancy if that occurs.
The 12-person jury in the trial of Clancy remains deadlocked as of Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, with no verdict reached.
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