Lindsay Clancy trial: Judge declares mistrial after emergency request denied
The defense blamed one juror for the deadlock.
The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom who killed her three young children while in the family's home on Jan. 24, 2023, ended Friday in a mistrial after seven days of juror deadlock.
Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, claimed throughout that trial that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life. The prosecutors, Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, argued that Clancy -- who pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder -- is criminally responsible for her children's deaths.
Judge William Sullivan, who oversaw the trial, set a court date of Sept. 29, 2026, to reconvene and determine next steps.
See below how the final days of the trial unfolded.
Watch a special edition of "20/20," "The Trial of Lindsay Clancy," airing Friday, Sept. 4, at 9/8c on ABC, streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
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What happens if there is a mistrial?
After deliberations spanning more than five days, the jury in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has still not reached a verdict.
On Wednesday afternoon, after the jury reported they were at an impasse for a second time in as many days, Judge William Sullivan read the jury a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, encouraging them to continue working together toward a verdict and to remember it is their "duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously."
Sending the jury back to deliberate again could force a hung jury if the deadlock continues, legal experts say.
"At that point, the judge has to declare a mistrial, unless he has the consent of the jury who would want to go out again, and that's rather doubtful," Boston-based criminal defense attorney Peter Elikann said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday. "This is really it. This is kind of the final push."
If a mistrial is declared, prosecutors could decide to try the case again, drop the charges, change the charges, or begin plea negotiations with Clancy, according to legal experts.
Click here for what to know about a potential mistrial.
Lindsay Clancy's family in attendance as day 6 of deliberations get underway
Lindsay Clancy, in a brown sweater over a green top, chatted quietly with defense attorney Kevin Reddington prior to the jury entering. Her parents and sister are sitting in their usual seats behind her, in the second row.
Judge William Sullivan asked whether jurors had read or seen anything that would impact their ability to be fair and whether they had anything to bring to his attention.
Jurors said no and filed out to resume deliberations, beginning a 31st hour.
Court resumes for 6th day of deliberations
Jurors are back in court and will continue to deliberate for a sixth day on Thursday after signaling they were at an impasse for a second time on Wednesday.
Jury sent home for the day after 2nd deadlock
A fifth day of deliberations is over, as Judge William Sullivan sent the jury home for the evening, asking the group to report back Thursday morning.
"I know it has been a long day," Sullivan said. "I'm going to ask you to come back tomorrow morning."
Jurors were sent home not long after signaling they were deadlocked for a second time. The judge instructed them at that point to keep working toward a unanimous verdict.
The jury has deliberated for about 30 hours total so far, indicating twice that they were at an impasse. Both times, the judge sent them back to continue deliberations.
Court will resume at 9 a.m. on Thursday.