Defense attorney seeks not-guilty verdict for Lindsay Clancy after mistrial
Lindsay Clancy's lawyer asked the judge to find her not guilty by reason of insanity following a mistrial, arguing prosecutors failed to prove she understood her actions were wrong.
A Massachusetts judge was asked on Thursday by Lindsay Clancy's defense counsel to declare her not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after a jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. The request was made six days after the trial ended when a fourth juror publicly said a single holdout prevented a unanimous verdict.
Judge William Sullivan had declared a mistrial on Friday after the 12-member jury reported it could not reach a consensus during seven days of deliberation. Prosecutors have not indicated whether they will seek a retrial.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued that the prosecution did not present evidence that could support a first-degree murder conviction, noting that even the prosecution’s own expert witnesses acknowledged Clancy suffered a serious mental illness at the time of the killings. He wrote that the evidence only showed she could perform familiar tasks, not that she understood the wrongfulness of her actions.
"No rational jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that she had no mental disease or defense when the Commonwealth’s own proof established that she does," Reddington said in his motion.
Reddington asked the judge to hear arguments on the motion at a hearing scheduled for 29 September. A spokesperson for Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz did not respond to a request for comment.
Clancy, 36, admitted to strangling her three children with exercise bands on 24 January 2023 in the basement of their Duxbury home, then attempted suicide, leaving her paralyzed. At trial, her lawyer sought a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis as the underlying condition.