A Massachusetts jury declared a mistrial Friday in the murder case against Lindsay Clancy after 12 jurors deliberated for seven days without reaching unanimity on whether she bore criminal responsibility for killing her three young children in 2023.
Eleven jurors voted to acquit. One holdout prevented consensus, prompting Judge William Sullivan to declare the mistrial in Plymouth Superior Court after a six-week trial.
Clancy admitted to strangling her 8-month-old son Callan, 5-year-old daughter Cora, and 3-year-old son Dawson. Her defense argued she was psychotic at the time and should not face criminal liability under Massachusetts law.
The verdict triggered swift condemnation from Republicans. President Donald Trump called the killings a "horrible tragedy."
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) posted on X: "Miscarriage of justice. The victims deserved far, far better than a kangaroo court."
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) asked, "Is Massachusetts a safe place for children?" and suggested the holdout juror "would need to have security."
Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH) called the lone male juror identified as the holdout a "hero" for "the courage to hold a serial killer accountable for her actions."
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said, "This case is not about the excuses for why she committed murder. This is about justice for the three beautiful souls whose lives were taken after their mother strangled them with her bare hands and workout bands."
Clancy's lead defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, indicated the holdout juror was one of three men on the jury. Reddington said Judge Sullivan suggested a retrial could occur "sometime in the fall" and that Clancy would be ready.
Reddington claimed the other 11 jurors "know that they were robbed — by one man — for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors."
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not decided whether to retry the case.
