PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children in 2023, returned to court as a judge weighs whether she will face a retrial.
The proceedings, before Judge William Sullivan in Plymouth Superior Court, stem from the January 2023 deaths of Clancy's three children -- Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months old -- at their Duxbury home. Clancy, who attempted suicide after the killings and has been paralyzed from the chest down, has been held at Tewksbury Hospital since 2023. Her defense argued she was not criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis.
The first trial, which concluded in September after seven days of deliberations, ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquittal. The holdout juror, Michael P. Desronvil, has said he felt harassed since the end of the trial and insisted he "didn't have any doubts."
Prosecutors, citing precedent from the Karen Read case, have argued that the Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against allowing post-trial juror revelations to affect the analysis and that double jeopardy does not bar a retrial for a mistrial declared due to a hung jury. The defense has moved to dismiss the case on double jeopardy grounds, arguing the judge should have conducted a deeper inquiry into the holdout juror before declaring a mistrial.
At a hearing on Monday, Judge Sullivan indicated he will rule on multiple motions at a status hearing scheduled for November 16. Prosecutors have filed motions to restrict attorney comments about the case, while the defense has argued such restrictions are vague and speculative. Judge Sullivan also suggested a retrial could begin in March if he denies the defense's motion to dismiss.
Clancy's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, is pursuing a separate wrongful death lawsuit against healthcare providers, alleging inadequate care led to the children's deaths. Lindsay Clancy rejects those claims, her attorney said.
