Lindsay Clancy trial: Judge declares mistrial after emergency request denied

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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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."

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.

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.

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

Sullivan has declared a mistrial after the jury said repeatedly it was unable to reach a verdict.

The decision comes after a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declined to impose an emergency stay filed by Clancy's defense attorney.

"I'm going to declare the jury is deadlocked, and I'm going to declare a mistrial," Sullivan said.

One juror appeared upset and put her head in her hands. Others look frustrated or defeated.

Reddington asked again for Sullivan to inquire of the holdout juror, but the judge declined.

A single justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard brief oral arguments Friday on the defense request for emergency intervention.

The justice quickly adjourned the hearing to make a decision.

Clancy's attorney, Reddington, argued intervention is necessary to avoid a mistrial.

"It is also necessary to preserve the Defendant's right to a fair trial by unbiased jurors applying the law and to avoid violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments and Article 114, which makes mental illness a protected category," the defense motion stated.

The defense motion for emergency intervention was devoid of case law that would establish precedent for what Reddington is asking for. Instead he wants the state's highest court to step in to "preserve the integrity of the court system."

Reddington faulted the judge overseeing Clancy's trial, Sullivan.  

"The Superior Court has abdicated its responsibility to ensure the integrity of the jury by refusing either to inquire further or to dismiss the juror who is refusing to consider doubt as the law states," Reddington's motion stated.  

He also faulted the juror, saying their refusal to apply any doubts they have acknowledged during deliberations reflects "a bias against those who suffer from debilitating mental illness."

Prosecutors have argued Sullivan properly exercised his discretion to declare the mistrial after seven days of deadlock.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hold a hearing regarding Clancy's defense attorney's emergency request for relief.

A representative for Lindsay Clancy's legal team says they have now filed a petition with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Reddington is asking the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to effectively force Sullivan to allow the jury to continue deliberating.

Lindsay Clancy put her head on the table as her case neared a mistrial.

Several of her supporters are crying in the bathroom.

Courtroom spectators looked shocked when the judge said he planned to declare a mistrial and further surprised when he gave the defense an hour to ask the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to intervene.

The court is in a state of suspended tension awaiting an outcome.

Judge William Sullivan said Friday he planned to declare a mistrial after the jury signaled they were unable to reach a verdict following seven days of deliberation.

Sullivan said he would hold off on formally declaring a mistrial for one hour to give defense attorney Kevin Reddington time to ask the state's highest court for an emergency stay.

Reddington will ask the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to effectively force Sullivan to allow the jury to continue deliberating.

Reddington said outside court yesterday he did not want a mistrial because he "kicked the sh--" out of the prosecution's case.

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