After more than 23 hours of deliberations, the jury deciding Lindsay Clancy’s fate has hit a wall. On Tuesday, the 12-member Massachusetts jury told Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan that it could not reach a unanimous verdict in the case involving the deaths of Clancy’s three young children.

But there was no mistrial — at least not yet. Instead, Judge Sullivan sent the jurors back to deliberate, leaving the courtroom waiting for an answer in a case that has centred on one devastating question: was Clancy legally responsible for killing her children, or did severe postpartum psychosis prevent her from understanding the wrongfulness of what she was doing?

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Lindsay Clancy jury deadlock after 23 hours puts triple-child murder verdict in doubt

The jury, consisting of nine women and three men, reached the impasse on the fourth day of deliberations. Jurors returned to court Tuesday morning after less than an hour and informed the judge that they had been unable to agree.

Judge Sullivan read their message to the courtroom:

“After many hours of deliberation, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision.”

Rather than immediately ending the trial, Sullivan urged the jurors to keep working through their differences.

“I know that this was a long trial,” Sullivan told them. “I know there were over 80 witnesses, over 300 exhibits, but because of that, I’m going to ask you to go back out — keeping in mind all the instructions that I gave you — to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time.”

The jury continued deliberating for much of Tuesday before asking to be dismissed at about 3:30 p.m. The panel is scheduled to return Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Clancy, 36, showed no visible reaction when the deadlock was announced, and neither did her family. Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, reportedly whispered to family members shortly before the announcement, apparently preparing them for the possibility.

Reddington later said he remained confident in the jurors.

“I just have really strong faith in them that they’re so attentive, so diligent, so hard working. I think they really listened to the judge and his instructions.”

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What happened to Cora, Dawson and Callan in the Duxbury killings?

The case dates back to Jan. 24, 2023, when Clancy’s three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — were killed at the family’s Duxbury, Massachusetts, home.

There is little dispute over the central physical act: Clancy’s defence has acknowledged that she killed the children. The courtroom battle instead concerns her state of mind.

Her attorneys argue that Clancy was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and was also affected by psychiatric medications. They presented evidence concerning her deteriorating mental health, suicidal thoughts, psychiatric treatment, medications and attempts to obtain additional care before the killings.

After the children died, Clancy attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window. She survived but suffered permanent paralysis and has remained in a wheelchair.

The prosecution offers a sharply different interpretation.

Prosecutors acknowledge that Clancy experienced mental health problems but argue that she remained criminally responsible. They contend that she deliberately created an opportunity to be alone with the children, killed them and understood the difference between right and wrong.

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Postpartum psychosis defence becomes the central issue for jurors

The defence case has focused heavily on whether postpartum psychosis robbed Clancy of criminal responsibility.

Family members and psychiatric experts described what the defence portrayed as a dramatic deterioration in her condition. Her attorneys pointed to anxiety, paranoia, suicidal thinking and behavioural changes, arguing that she repeatedly sought help but failed to receive the treatment she needed.

The prosecution’s experts challenged both the severity and nature of her alleged psychosis.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Gregory Saathoff, one of the prosecution’s final witnesses, disputed Clancy’s account that she heard a voice ordering her to kill her children and herself. Prosecutors have also highlighted actions they say demonstrated planning and an understanding of what was happening.

That leaves jurors weighing two radically different versions of the same tragedy: a mother experiencing a profound break from reality, or a mentally ill woman who nevertheless understood her actions and deliberately committed murder.

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More than 80 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits leave jury with huge evidence record

The trial lasted several weeks and brought testimony from family members, medical professionals, psychiatric experts, investigators and first responders.

CBS Boston reported that jurors heard from 85 witnesses and saw more than 200 pieces of evidence. Other reporting has described the case as involving more than 80 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits.

Evidence discussed during the proceedings included Clancy’s psychiatric history, medical records, prescription medications, digital searches, statements about her mental state, the exercise bands involved in the killings and evidence related to her suicide attempt.

Jurors have also previously asked to review evidence, including a knife associated with Clancy’s suicide attempt and prescription medication.

With such an extensive record, the jury’s inability to agree after more than 23 hours highlights just how sharply divided the legal questions in this case may be.

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What is a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction in a Massachusetts hung jury case?

The Tuesday deadlock does not automatically end the trial.

If the jurors remain divided, Judge Sullivan can potentially issue a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, sometimes called a “dynamite charge.” It is designed to encourage jurors to continue discussing the evidence and make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous decision.

The instruction became widely recognised in Massachusetts during the first Karen Read murder trial in 2024, when jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict and the judge ultimately declared a mistrial.

Sullivan has not yet issued the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction in Clancy’s case. For now, he has simply directed the existing jury to continue deliberating.

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What happens if the Lindsay Clancy jury stays deadlocked?

If jurors eventually reach unanimity, the case will move to a verdict.

If they cannot, Sullivan could ultimately declare a mistrial because of a hung jury. That would not be an acquittal. Clancy would not be found guilty or not guilty, and prosecutors could potentially retry the case before another jury.

WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman explained the potential outcome:

“If a mistrial is in fact declared, the prosecution then needs to make a decision about whether or not they retry Lindsay Clancy again.”

She added:

“The prosecution would have the ability to do that same thing here with Lindsay Clancy’s case. There’s no double jeopardy because she’s never been convicted of anything. That’s what allows the prosecution to retry the same case again.”

Roman also said a second trial could potentially be presented differently:

“If it ends up being a hung jury and the prosecution decides to retry the case, I think they’re going to present their case a little bit differently from the get -go with the hopes for a different result at the end of a second trial.”

For now, however, there is no mistrial and no retrial.

Lindsay Clancy verdict possibilities explained as jury returns Wednesday

The jury is considering whether Clancy is guilty of the charged murders and whether the evidence supports lesser criminal offences.

Potential outcomes include first-degree murder, which carries life imprisonment without parole under Massachusetts law, as well as second-degree murder or manslaughter depending on the applicable jury instructions and evidence.

Jurors could also find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, legally framed around a lack of criminal responsibility. Such a finding would not simply mean she walks free. A person found not criminally responsible because of mental illness can be committed to a state mental health facility and remain subject to continuing legal and medical review.

As of Sept. 1, there is therefore still no verdict.

Judge Sullivan has instructed the jury to continue deliberating, with jurors scheduled to return Wednesday morning. Legal analyst Jennifer Roman said the judge could give the panel as much time as it needs, although she believed Tuesday’s message indicated that the jurors were nearing the end of their deliberations.

“The judge will give the jury as much time as they need, but the jury has signaled to us they are reaching the end of their deliberations.”

She added:

“This jury just doesn’t seem to have another 20 hours left in them, for example.”

That prediction, however, does not determine what happens next. A jury that reports being deadlocked can still reach a unanimous verdict after further discussion.

For now, Lindsay Clancy has not been convicted, acquitted or found not criminally responsible. The original jury remains in place, and the fate of the case rests on whether those 12 jurors can ultimately agree on the legal responsibility of a mother accused of killing her three children.

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Disclaimer

This article is based on thorough research of court proceedings and verified reporting available as of Sept. 2, 2026, including reporting from CBS News Boston, Reuters, The Associated Press, WBUR and WBZ-TV, as well as Massachusetts court materials concerning jury instructions. Lindsay Clancy has not been convicted in this case, and the jury’s reported deadlock is not a verdict. The legal proceedings and jury deliberations remain ongoing, and subsequent court action may change the status of the case.

Sources

• CBS News Boston — CBS Boston report on the Sept. 1 jury deadlock and continuing deliberations: CBS News Boston
• Reuters — Jury in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial says it is deadlocked; deliberations continue: Reuters report
• Associated Press — Jury weighs whether Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her children: Associated Press report
• WBUR — Clancy murder trial testimony wraps; closing arguments scheduled: WBUR News
• WBUR — Jury begins deliberating whether Lindsay Clancy is criminally responsible: WBUR News
• Massachusetts Trial Court — Tuey-Rodriguez instructions for juries unable to agree: Massachusetts court instructions

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