A mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy triple-murder case is on hold after defense attorney Kevin Reddington filed an emergency appeal Friday with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, according to The Daily Wire.
The move came just as Judge William Sullivan was set to bring the deadlocked jury back into the courtroom to officially declare a mistrial. Sullivan granted Reddington one hour to file the stay, and the unusual request is now likely to go before a single justice on the state’s highest court.
The jury — nine women and three men — deliberated for roughly 38 hours before sending a somber note to the judge reading, “With a heavy heart we report we cannot come to a unanimous decision.”
The defense believes the panel is split 11-1, with one male juror refusing to find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity. In open court, Reddington revealed two jury notes alleging the holdout was refusing to follow the law. Earlier Friday, Sullivan rejected Reddington’s motion to remove that juror.
The prosecution, meanwhile, pressed Sullivan to declare a mistrial immediately.
Reddington has not made clear what legal argument he plans to use to block the mistrial. But his frustration with the judge’s jury instructions was on display.
“What do you want me to do? Get a brass band?” Sullivan responded, visibly irritated. “I read the instruction as written by the [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]. The fact that I perhaps didn’t give it my full inflection, I’m sorry about that. I’m not an actor. I’ve just given the instructions.”
A Tragic Case at the Center
Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has admitted to strangling her three children with exercise bands in January 2023 inside the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Her defense contends that postpartum psychosis left her not criminally responsible for her actions, and that the medical system failed her in the lead-up to the killings.
The case has drawn national attention, with supporters rallying around Clancy’s mental health defense and prosecutors arguing she was criminally responsible for the deaths.
What Happens Next
If the mistrial is ultimately declared, Clancy is expected to remain in a state-run psychiatric hospital. That would leave the criminal case unresolved and open the door for another trial.
The emergency appeal adds a new layer of uncertainty to an already protracted legal saga. It is unclear how quickly the Supreme Judicial Court will rule on the stay, or whether a single justice will step in to prevent the mistrial from going forward.
Reddington’s high-court gambit is a Hail Mary, legal observers say, given that mistrials following deadlocks are routine and rarely challenged in this manner. But with the jury allegedly split at 11-1 and the defense alleging juror misconduct, the stakes could not be higher.
Sullivan’s earlier rejection of the request to remove the holdout juror suggests he is inclined to let the process play out, but the emergency stay could force a higher authority to weigh in.
This is a developing story. The Daily Wire will provide updates as more information becomes available.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsay-clancy-mistrial-put-on-ice-after-defense-hail-mary