Lindsay Clancy trial: Judge declares mistrial after emergency request denied

The defense blamed one juror for the deadlock.

Last Updated: September 4, 2026, 4:42 PM EDT

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom who killed her three young children while in the family's home on Jan. 24, 2023, ended Friday in a mistrial after seven days of juror deadlock.

Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, claimed throughout that trial that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life. The prosecutors, Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, argued that Clancy -- who pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder -- is criminally responsible for her children's deaths.

Judge William Sullivan, who oversaw the trial, set a court date of Sept. 29, 2026, to reconvene and determine next steps.

See below how the final days of the trial unfolded.

Watch a special edition of "20/20," "The Trial of Lindsay Clancy," airing Friday, Sept. 4, at 9/8c on ABC, streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

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Sep 04, 2026, 4:41 PM EDT

Patrick Clancy issues statement after judge declares mistrial

Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, issued a statement through his lawyer on Friday after Judge Sullivan declared a mistrial.

"Patrick Clancy is grateful to the Court and to the jurors for their hard work, their commitment, and their perseverance," David Meier, Patrick Clancy's attorney, said in a statement. "The loss of Patrick's children is something from which he will never recover and from which there will never be closure. The prospect of reliving this tragedy through another trial is extraordinarily painful -- for Patrick, for his family, and for all us."

Sep 04, 2026, 3:20 PM EDT

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington speaks after mistrial declared

Reddington spoke to reporters moments after a mistrial was declared in Clancy's murder trial.

"It's a very sad case," he said, calling Clancy "a fantastic, wonderful individual."

Referring to the Plymouth County district attorney, he added, "Cruz knows he was crushed."

Asked about Clancy's current state of mind, Reddington said his client was "not good."

"She grieves the loss of those three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan," he said, naming Clancy's three deceased children.

Reddington then turned his attention to the lone juror he said prevented the jury from reaching a unanimous verdict, saying Clancy was "robbed."

"I hope that guy can sleep well at night," he said.

Reddington said he is prepared for a possible retrial.

Sep 04, 2026, 3:48 PM EDT

Plymouth DA defends prosecution of Lindsay Clancy

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz defended his prosecution of Clancy after Judge Sullivan declared a mistrial moments earlier, following seven days of jury deadlock. Cruz said the evidence and the law merited first-degree murder charges.

"Children were murdered, and it's our job to seek justice," Cruz said outside court. "This is a case of three children who died a violent death at the hands of the person who was supposed to love them the most."

He called the online treatment of the trial prosecutors, Buckingham and Sprague, "disgusting," noting they are both mothers themselves.

He lamented that "criminals are being treated as victims, and victims are invisible."

Cruz declined to announce an immediate decision about retrying Clancy.

The comments come moments after Sullivan declared a mistrial, following a decision by a single Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice denying the defense's emergency stay petition, which asked the court to compel the jury to continue deliberations or remove a lone holdout it claimed was biased against the defendant.

Sep 04, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT

Court to reconvene at month's end

The judge set a date of Sept. 29 to determine next steps.

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