BOSTON
A Massachusetts jury declared a mistrial in the triple-murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after deliberating over 38 hours, unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Three jurors said a single male holdout prevented the panel from finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, even though he acknowledged reasonable doubt about her criminal responsibility.
Roni Carlson, the jury's foreperson, told NBC10 Boston that the holdout juror "admitted he had reasonable doubt" but refused to vote not guilty by reason of insanity. Carlson said she had begun filling out the forms for that verdict when the holdout made his final objection.
Clancy, 36, admitted to fatally strangling her three children in the basement of her Duxbury home in January 2023. Her attorney argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis and extreme mental illness, making her not criminally responsible for the killings and her subsequent suicide attempt.
The jury consisted of nine women and three men. At one point, the panel was split 11-1, with the majority alleging the lone holdout was unable to follow the court's instructions on reasonable doubt, according to notes sent to the court.
Carlson said the panel did not dispute that Clancy killed her children—she admitted the acts herself. The central question for jurors was whether Clancy "knew right from wrong at that time," Carlson explained.
Evidence presented, including Clancy's journals and testimony from her mother-in-law, indicated Clancy loved her children. Carlson stated that "everything proved that she loved her children so she had to have snapped."
Juror Kellie Farina described the holdout's struggle to move past the fact that Clancy "viciously killed her children." Farina said the panel repeatedly directed him to the judge's instructions regarding reasonable doubt during deliberations.
Paula Devlin, another juror, characterized the holdout as "very arrogant." Devlin said he "really did not take anything that anybody said," including information about Clancy's toxicology report provided by nurses on the panel.
Farina also recounted the emotional toll of deliberations, with jurors frequently walking around the room due to frustration. She mentioned the 911 call audio from Clancy's husband, Patrick, as something she would not forget, noting it was not broadcast beyond the courtroom.
The mistrial leaves Clancy's fate unresolved. Prosecutors have not indicated whether they will pursue a new trial.
