What's Next for Lindsay Clancy After Mistrial?

The trial of a Massachusetts woman who strangled her three children but argues she is not guilty by reason of insanity ended on Friday with ​a deadlocked jury. But defendant Lindsay Clancy is still charged with murder and could ‌face a second trial.

Here is a look at what’s next for Clancy, whose televised trial has sparked debate over postpartum mental health treatment in the U.S. and how the country’s legal system treats cases where ​mothers kill their children.

WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT?

Clancy, 36, is charged with first-degree ​murder for strangling her three children with exercise bands in 2023 in ⁠their home in the Boston suburb of Duxbury.

Her attorney does not dispute Clancy killed ​her children but has argued she was in the midst of a psychotic episode.

Clancy, a ​former labor and delivery nurse, faces life in prison without parole if convicted. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, she could be committed to a state psychiatric hospital.

WHAT IS A MISTRIAL?

A mistrial ​is when a trial ends without a verdict. But it does not end the case ​and prosecutors are free to start over with a new jury.

Judge William Sullivan in Plymouth, Massachusetts, declared ‌a ⁠mistrial in Clancy’s case after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict despite multiple instructions by Sullivan to keep trying.

WHAT HAPPENS TO CLANCY NOW?

Clancy has been confined at a state psychiatric hospital before and during trial and would remain in custody through a second trial.
After ​the mistrial, Plymouth County ​District Attorney Tim ⁠Cruz told reporters no decision had been made on whether prosecutors will retry the case.

COULD THERE BE A PLEA DEAL?

Yes. Both sides ​could be motivated to cut a deal to avoid the expense ​and uncertainty of ⁠a second trial, though it is unclear if the mistrial makes a plea agreement more likely than it was before. An agreement would need court approval.

WOULD A SECOND TRIAL LOOK THE ⁠SAME?

Not ​necessarily, though the facts would remain the same. The ​first trial featured over 80 witnesses and over 300 exhibits, and both sides could adjust their evidence and strategy ​based on what appeared most persuasive.