Following four days of deliberations and 18 hours of total review in a Massachusetts courtroom, the jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial declared an impasse on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Judge William Sullivan instructed the 12-person panel to return to the jury room and continue working toward a unanimous verdict.
Judge William Sullivan
The high-profile murder trial examining the deaths of three young children reached a tense juncture Tuesday morning when the courtroom received word from the panel. After hearing testimony from over 80 witnesses and reviewing more than 300 exhibits across a grueling trial, the jurors reported they could not reach a unanimous agreement.
Judge William Sullivan directed the 12-person panel to resume its work. The jurors had deliberated for approximately 18 hours before sending out their note, which stated, according to Judge William F. Sullivan: After many hours of deliberation, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision.
Addressing the panel in the courtroom, Sullivan acknowledged the scale of the evidence. I know that this was a long trial,
he said. 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.
Under Massachusetts law, Sullivan can encourage the jury to go back to the jury room, but not more than twice unless the jury consents to it. If the jury still cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the judge can declare a mistrial, ending the trial without a clear resolution.
Lindsay Clancy
Clancy, wearing a beige sweater, did not appear to show any emotion while her parents and sister were present in the courtroom. Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder for the killings of her children Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and 8-month-old Callan at the family’s Massachusetts home in January 2023.
The core dispute before the jury centers on whether Clancy was criminally responsible. Her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, argues she is not criminally responsible because she was experiencing postpartum psychosis, a rare mental health condition. Prosecutors maintain Lindsay was criminally responsible. Her ex-husband Patrick Clancy has already taken the witness stand, describing the devastating discovery of his children and his call to 911 which was played in court.
The jury’s focus on the case details was underscored when they asked to see the knife she allegedly used to slash herself and the pill bottles. Jurors are considering five verdicts: guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter, not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility or not guilty.
Kevin Reddington
Earlier Tuesday, Reddington had said that he would “absolutely” go to trial again if the verdict ends in a hung jury. Maybe today’s the day; we’ll see. I don’t know,
said Reddington, who expressed really strong faith
in the jury, noting that members showed attentiveness throughout the five-week trial. When asked by a reporter what a hung jury would mean, Reddington responded: “Try it again.”
Heather Cucolo
Heather Cucolo, a New York Law School professor with expertise in criminal and mental disability law, said generally the longer a jury remains deadlocked, the greater the possibility of a hung jury.
Deadlocks are not uncommon in complex, emotionally charged cases, particularly when jurors must evaluate extensive evidence and conflicting expert testimony,
Cucolo said. If the jury continues to be at loggerheads, the judge could give the panel a supplemental instruction commonly referred to as a dynamite charge,
or in Massachusetts as a Tuey Rodriguez charge,
or simply a Rodriguez charge.
The purpose is to encourage jurors to reexamine their positions, consider differing viewpoints, and work toward a unanimous verdict without abandoning their sincerely held convictions,
Cucolo said.
As the jury continues its work behind closed doors, the prosecution and Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, did not object to the judge sending the panel back. By order of the judge, Lindsay’s fate still remains in the hands of the jury.
