The jury deciding Lindsay Clancy’s fate told the judge it “will not be able to” reach a decision.
The declaration came after seven days of deliberations.
Judge declares mistrial
Update 2:24 p.m. ET, Sept. 4: Judge William Sullivan said the jury was deadlocked and declared a mistrial.
After addressing the jury, he discharged the panel.
A status hearing is scheduled for later this month.
Temporary stay lifted
Update 2:20 p.m. ET, Sept. 4: The Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that it has lifted the stay, clearing the way for Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial.
After a statement from defense attorney Kevin Reddington, the jury was brought back into the courtroom.
Hearing held
Update 1:53 p.m. ET, Sept. 4: The Supreme Judicial Court held an emergency hearing, which was over shortly. The judge overseeing the defense’s appeal said she will take the case under advisement and will issue a ruling, CNN reported.
During the emergency hearing, prosecutor Jennifer Sprague explained what happened when the jury sent the court a note that a member of the jury could not follow instructions concerning reasonable doubt and asked how to proceed, according to CNN. Judge William Sullivan then asked each of the 12 jurors whether they could follow the rule, and each answered yes.
The defense is asking that the juror in question either be questioned further or removed.
Filing submitted
Update 1:07 p.m. ET, Sept. 4: Clancy’s defense attorney submitted a filing with the Massachusetts Supreme Court, the clerk’s office told CNN.
Dana Goldblatt said she filed the emergency appeal on behalf of Kevin Reddington at 12:29 p.m. ET on Aug. 4, The Associated Press reported.
The court is on recess until 2 p.m. ET for lunch.
Original report: The judge hearing the case said he intends to declare a mistrial moments later. Initially, The Associated Press and CNN reported he had declared a mistrial.
“I don’t feel I have any choice but to declare a mistrial,” Judge William Sullivan said on Friday morning.
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Judge William Sullivan gave the defense an hour to make an emergency appeal for a stay, CNN reported.
They had come back a handful of times over the past several days telling the judge that they were deadlocked, but he sent them back to deliberate further.
Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was charged with killing her three children in 2023. She did not deny strangling her children, but her attorney said it was due to postpartum psychosis and losing touch with reality. She said she had sought help for her mental health, going as far as to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital, according to The Associated Press.
She pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.
Postpartum psychosis is what the Cleveland Clinic called a “mental health emergency” where a person’s “sense of reality, causing hallucinations, delusions, paranoia or other behavior changes” can be affected. People with the condition can harm themselves or their newborns, the institution said.
“The disorder is caused by a complex combination of biological, environmental, and cultural factors. The exact pathophysiological mechanisms of postpartum psychosis remain very poorly understood,” the National Institutes of Health said, adding that more research and increased knowledge for medical professionals is needed.
Prosecutors said she knew what she was doing and made the choice to kill her children before trying to commit suicide by cutting herself before jumping from a second-floor window, the AP reported.
Clancy’s three children — Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months — were strangled with exercise bands in their Duxbury, Massachusetts basement. She then tried to kill herself while her husband was running errands,
Twelve jurors deliberating the case on Aug. 27 after testimony from more than 70 prosecution and 10 defense witnesses. Clancy did not testify.
Jurors had at one point requested that the judge allow them to see the knife found in her bedroom as well as two plastic bags of prescription medications, WFXT reported.
Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.