The high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy ended without a verdict Friday after a Mᴀssachusetts jury failed to reach a unanimous decision, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.

Clancy, 36, was charged with first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — at the family’s home in Duxbury, Mᴀssachusetts. Her attorneys have never disputed that she was responsible for the children’s deaths, but argued that she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and other psychiatric problems at the time.

The six-week trial featured testimony from more than 80 witnesses, including medical experts, relatives, police officers and Clancy’s former husband, Patrick Clancy. Prosecutors argued that she deliberately carried out the killings and understood what she was doing. The defense maintained that her mental condition had severely impaired her ability to distinguish right from wrong.

After more than 36 hours of deliberations over seven days, jurors repeatedly told Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan that they remained ᴅᴇᴀᴅlocked. The jury reportedly appeared to be split 11-1, with one juror continuing to disagree with the others.

Clancy’s defense team asked the judge to remove the holdout juror, arguing that the juror was not properly applying the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt. Judge Sullivan rejected the request, saying jurors were required to follow the law as he had instructed them.

The defense then sought an emergency appeal to the Mᴀssachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in an attempt to delay the mistrial. The request was rejected, and Judge Sullivan formally declared the mistrial Friday afternoon.

The decision does not mean Clancy has been acquitted. The criminal case remains unresolved, and prosecutors must now decide whether to bring the case before a new jury. A hearing is scheduled for September 29, when the next steps are expected to be discussed.

Prosecutors could pursue another trial, potentially consider different charges or explore a plea agreement. For now, no final decision has been announced.

Clancy will remain in custody at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she has been receiving psychiatric care since the 2023 incident.

The case has attracted national attention not only because of the deaths of the three children but also because of its focus on postpartum mental illness and the difficult question of when severe psychiatric illness can affect criminal responsibility.

For the families involved, Friday’s mistrial means the case that has already lasted more than three years is far from over. The next major question is whether prosecutors will seek a second trial — and whether a new jury will reach a different conclusion.

Sources: CBS News, AP News