Lindsay Clancy trial live updates: Mistrial declared after last-minute defense appeal is denied

What to know about the trial The judge declared a mistrial today after the jury weighing the fate of Lindsay Clancy failed for the third time to reach a verdict in the case. The jury told Judge William Sullivan it was hopelessly deadlocked in the murder trial of Clancy, who killed her three young children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — at their home in Massachusetts before she tried to kill herself in January 2023. Clancy's lawyer stepped in at the last minute and said he wanted to appeal to a higher court. The judge granted him one hour to do so, but the top court in Massachusetts declined the appeal. Jurors were deliberating over charges of first-degree murder — involving “deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity” — with the option to consider lesser manslaughter charges. Clancy’s mental health is a key issue. Her defense, led by attorney Kevin Reddington, argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and was compelled to act by a hallucinated voice when she strangled her children. Since she suffered from a mental disease, the defense argued, she's not criminally responsible. The prosecution’s closing argument, delivered by Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague, said Clancy was a “functioning mom” who knew “right and wrong.” Clancy put a level of planning into the killings that indicates she wasn't psychotic, Sprague argued. The nearly six-week trial has taken over podcasts, social media and conversations beyond the Massachusetts courtroom. Clancy, 36, has also emerged as a symbol of the gaps in maternal healthcare.

The judge said he would declare a mistrial Friday after the jury weighing the fate of Lindsay Clancy failed for the third time to reach a verdict in the case. Clancy's lawyer stepped in and said he wanted to appeal to a higher court. The judge granted him one hour to do so.