Lindsay Clancy is set to appear before a Plymouth Superior Court judge Tuesday morning, marking her first return to the courtroom since her high-profile Massachusetts murder trial concluded with a mistrial on September 4.
The proceedings, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., follow a verdict deadlock that left the jury unable to reach a unanimous decision after 36 hours of deliberation. During the hearing, the court will address a motion filed by prosecutors seeking to impose a gag order on both sides to prevent prejudicial extrajudicial statements to the media.
The prosecution argues that defense attorney Kevin Reddington has repeatedly made outside statements that could compromise the integrity of future proceedings. In their filing, prosecutors specifically cited Reddington’s discussions with the press regarding witnesses and his characterization of Clancy, as well as his reference to a single holdout juror by gender during a news conference. The prosecution contends this disclosure allowed the public to identify the juror as one of three men on the panel. Legal representatives from WBZ-TV and Boston Globe Media Partners have filed a motion opposing the gag order.
Clancy remains charged with first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of her three young children—8-month-old Callan, 3-year-old Dawson, and 5-year-old Cora—at their Duxbury home. She has entered pleas of not guilty. While the prosecution maintained that Clancy understood the nature of her actions when she used exercise bands to strangle the children, Reddington has admitted she caused their deaths. However, he argues she should not be held criminally responsible due to being overmedicated and experiencing postpartum psychosis.
Following the mistrial, Reddington filed an emergency appeal with the state’s highest court, claiming the judge failed to properly question the holdout juror regarding their interpretation of reasonable doubt. That appeal was rejected, finalizing the mistrial status.
Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz has not yet announced whether he intends to retry the case. Questions remain regarding whether prosecutors would consider pursuing lesser charges. Regarding the possibility of a resolution, Reddington previously stated that while no plea deal was feasible during the first trial due to the first-degree murder charges, any potential agreement would depend entirely on Cruz’s willingness to reduce the charge to second-degree murder. Reddington emphasized that he would not agree to any arrangement resulting in jail time for his client.
In the aftermath of the trial, several jurors broke their anonymity to discuss the proceedings. One juror told WBZ-TV that significant doubt existed regarding the insanity defense, leading to a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity vote. Another juror, Paula Devlin, confirmed to CBS Mornings that the jury was divided 11 to 1. The holdout juror, who faced intense scrutiny on social media, later released a statement asserting, “I didn’t have any doubt.”
Mental health resources remain a focal point of public interest surrounding the case. For those in emotional distress, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. Additional support can be found through the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine, reachable Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 1-800-950-NAMI.
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This media gag order debate is huge. Free press versus fair trial is never an easy balance to strike.
A 11-1 split means the case was far from clear-cut. The holdout juror’s statement is very telling.
I hope they don’t let her off easy if they retry this. Three children is too much to ignore.