In a dramatic turn of events, defense attorney Kevin Reddington made an eleventh-hour bid in Plymouth Superior Court to prevent Judge William Sullivan from formally declaring a mistrial.
Following seven days and over 36 hours of intense deliberations, the 12-member jury notified the court for a third time that they were permanently deadlocked in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy.
Defense fights to keep jury deliberating
When Judge Sullivan announced his intent to declare a mistrial, the defense immediately requested an emergency stay. Reddington sought time to file an urgent appeal with a single justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court aiming to halt the mistrial and allow jurors to continue working toward a verdict.
In response, Judge Sullivan agreed to grant a brief one-hour delay before bringing the panel back into the courtroom to finalize his decision.
Tensions over holdout juror
The request follows growing frustration regarding panel consensus. Reports indicate the panel was split 11-1, with the foreperson sending a note alleging that a lone holdout juror refused to properly apply the legal definitions of reasonable doubt.
Judge Sullivan denied defense requests to dismiss or further question the specific juror opting instead to re-read standard jury instructions.
High-stakes mental health defense
Clancy faces murder charges for the 2023 deaths of her three young children. While she admitted to the killings, her defense team maintains she was not criminally responsible due to severe postpartum psychosis and overmedication.
If the Supreme Judicial Court rejects the stay, the judge will proceed with the mistrial leaving prosecutors to decide whether to retry the case.
