U.S. trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of killing her children, ends without verdict

The trial of Lindsay Clancy, who admitted killing her three children, ended without a verdict after jurors failed to agree on whether she was legally responsible for the deaths.

Judge William Sullivan declared the proceedings invalid in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after the jury reported three times that it could not reach a decision. The disagreement centered on Clancy’s criminal responsibility, not on whether she had killed the children.

Clancy’s lawyer argued that the former nurse suffered from postpartum psychosis and therefore could not be held responsible for her actions. During the nearly six-week trial, Clancy said a voice had ordered her to kill her children. Prosecutors rejected that account and argued that she knew what she was doing.

An appeals court rejected a last-minute defense request to replace one juror. That juror had disagreed with the other 11, who apparently favored finding Clancy not criminally responsible. Sullivan said it was not his role to take sides with either the single juror or the other 11.

The prosecution now faces a choice between bringing Clancy back to court, dropping the case or negotiating an agreement with the defense. The trial drew intense public and media attention in the United States and was broadcast live. It also fueled a wider debate over criminal responsibility and mothers’ mental health after childbirth.