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Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer argued at a Tuesday hearing that prosecutors had not proved she killed her three children, reversing the defense’s emphasis at trial on her mental state. The jury deadlocked 11-1 in her favor on Sept. 4, and a judge has not ruled on the request to acquit her. Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek a retrial.
Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer argued at a Tuesday court hearing that prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to prove she killed her three children, a shift from the defense’s approach at her first trial. The jury deadlocked on Sept. 4, voting 11-1 in Clancy’s favor; Judge William Sullivan has not yet ruled on the request to acquit her.
Attorney Kevin Reddington asked Sullivan, who also presided over the first trial, to acquit Clancy. “This entire case is based on speculation,” he said, questioning where Clancy had admitted to killing the children. He pointed to her condition when she was found outside the family home, badly injured and bleeding, and to her lack of memory of events when she later woke in a hospital. Reddington did not present an alternative account of who was responsible.
At the lengthy trial, the defense did not dispute that Clancy killed the children. It argued instead that she was not criminally responsible because of mental disease, with the case focusing on an alleged episode of postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors argued that she knew her actions were wrong. They said she used exercise bands to strangle Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, and arranged for her husband to leave the house that evening to pick up medicine and dinner.
Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham called Reddington’s argument “laughable,” citing evidence presented during the trial. In court papers filed Monday, prosecutors restated their position that the evidence was sufficient for conviction. The judge did not rule at Tuesday’s hearing, and no new trial date was set.
A Deadlocked Jury Leaves the Case Open
The hearing could shape whether Clancy faces another trial and what charges prosecutors pursue. A jury split 11 to 1 in her favor, but it did not acquit her or reach a verdict. The court case therefore remains unresolved, and the judge’s decision on the defense request may affect the options ahead.
The case has also drawn public attention to maternal mental health after childbirth, because the first trial centered on whether Clancy’s mental state made her legally responsible. That question remains distinct from the new argument over whether prosecutors proved she committed the killings. The claims at the hearing do not amount to a new finding about either issue.
Trial Focused on Mental Responsibility
Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, was charged after her three children died at the family’s home in 2023. Her husband and first responders testified at trial that they arrived and found she had tried to kill herself after the children were killed. The defense raised postpartum psychosis as a basis for arguing she was not criminally responsible.
The jury’s Sept. 4 deadlock followed that trial. Clancy remains charged and is expected to stay at a psychiatric hospital while the case is pending. A murder conviction could carry a life sentence; if she were acquitted, the judge could order confinement in a mental health facility. Neither outcome has been decided.
Clancy’s lawyers have separately sought dismissal over the handling of the lone juror who favored a murder conviction. They argued the judge should have removed him after the foreperson said he was not listening to the law on reasonable doubt. The juror, Michael Desronvil, has said through his lawyer that he had no doubts about his position.
““This entire case is based on speculation.””
— Kevin Reddington, Clancy’s lawyer
Judge and Prosecutors Have Yet to Decide
Sullivan has not ruled on the request to acquit Clancy, and prosecutors have not decided whether to retry her. District Attorney Timothy Cruz said that decision remained pending after Tuesday’s hearing. Prosecutors could pursue first-degree murder charges, seek a trial on lesser charges such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, or drop the case.
The separate defense request to dismiss the case, including its challenge to the handling of the holdout juror, is also unresolved. The supplied account does not report a ruling on that issue. It is not yet clear when the judge will decide the pending requests or when prosecutors will announce their plans.
Rulings Will Shape the Next Stage
The next developments are a ruling from Sullivan on the defense requests and a decision by prosecutors about whether to pursue another trial. No retrial date has been set. If the case proceeds, prosecutors will have to decide which charges to bring, while Clancy remains in psychiatric care as the case is resolved.
The case includes discussion of suicide. In the United States, people who need crisis support can call or text 988.
Key Questions
What did Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer ask the judge to do?
Kevin Reddington asked Judge William Sullivan to acquit Clancy, arguing prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to prove she killed her children.
What was the jury’s decision?
The jury deadlocked on Sept. 4, with 11 jurors voting in Clancy’s favor. It did not reach a verdict.
Will Clancy face another trial?
That has not been decided. Prosecutors have not said whether they will retry her, and no trial date has been set.
What was the defense argument at the first trial?
The defense focused on whether Clancy was criminally responsible, arguing that mental disease, including alleged postpartum psychosis, meant she was not responsible for her actions. At the later hearing, her lawyer also challenged whether the evidence proved she committed the killings.
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