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BOSTON (BFMG) — A Massachusetts judge on Thursday denied a defense motion seeking to acquit Lindsay Clancy in the deaths of her three children, ruling that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence for a jury to consider the murder charges.
Judge William Sullivan’s decision leaves the charges pending against Clancy, 36, whose first trial ended Sept. 4 with a deadlocked jury, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to retry the case.
Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued at a hearing Tuesday that the prosecution had failed to prove she carried out the killings and that its case relied on speculation.
Sullivan rejected that argument. He wrote that physical and circumstantial evidence could allow a reasonable jury to find the elements of murder beyond a reasonable doubt.
For purposes of deciding the motion, Sullivan said he was required to view the evidence in the light most favorable to prosecutors. He also said the jury must decide whether to accept defense experts’ testimony that mental illness left Clancy unable to bear criminal responsibility.
The ruling does not determine Clancy’s guilt.
Defense focused on postpartum psychosis
During the first trial, the defense did not dispute that Clancy killed her children at the family’s Massachusetts home in 2023. Instead, her attorneys argued that she was not criminally responsible because she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.
The children were 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan.
Jurors heard testimony that Clancy reported hearing voices directing her to kill the children. Prosecutors acknowledged that she had experienced mental health problems, received months of treatment and spent time in a psychiatric hospital, but argued that she understood her actions when she strangled the children and then attempted suicide.
Sullivan declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. The jury was split 11 to 1 in favor of acquitting Clancy of the murder charges, the AP reported.
Prosecutors dispute claim of insufficient evidence
At Tuesday’s hearing, Reddington challenged the police investigation and raised questions about Clancy’s mental condition and reported inability to remember the killings.
Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham countered that the trial record contained extensive evidence connecting Clancy to the deaths.
That evidence included her DNA on exercise bands used to strangle the children, according to the AP. Before trial, Reddington also filed a motion indicating that Clancy was willing to formally acknowledge her involvement in their deaths.
Decision on retrial remains pending
Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, remains charged with murder and is expected to stay at a psychiatric hospital while the case is pending.
Prosecutors could pursue another trial on first-degree murder charges, proceed on lesser charges or drop the case. No decision has been announced.
Patrick Clancy, her former husband, who discovered the children’s bodies, has publicly said he forgives her.
The case has drawn widespread attention to maternal mental health and the question of criminal responsibility when a defendant is experiencing severe mental illness.
