Lindsay Clancy Attorney’s Emergency Appeal to Avert Mistrial Denied

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington filed the last-ditch legal challenge on September 4, 2026, as Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan prepared to declare a mistrial following seven days of jury deliberations.

Emergency Appeal and Mistrial Declaration

The panel had been deliberating for more than 36 hours over seven days. Moments before the mistrial was called, Reddington asked for and was granted one hour to file an emergency single-justice appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Under Massachusetts law, the state’s highest court holds authority to intervene in lower court proceedings when no other remedy remains. Reddington argued that an extraordinary circumstance required intervention, pointing to a holdout juror whom the defense claimed was acting improperly.

I believe that this is a situation where there is a clear and present danger, that this individual, for some reason, what it is, we don’t know, but is taking a position that’s intractable regardless of proof beyond a reasonable doubt,

Following the higher court’s denial, Judge Sullivan officially declared a mistrial.

Clash Over Juror Conduct and Deadlock

The emergency appeal followed a day of sharp disagreements in the courtroom regarding how to handle the stalled jury. Reddington pressed Judge Sullivan to remove the individual juror, arguing that the notes suggested the juror was not properly applying the law and may have lied under oath during individual voir dire questioning. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague disagreed with the defense’s characterization, arguing that the notes reflected a disagreement over the application of reasonable doubt rather than misconduct.

The court filings show that both sides interpret the definition of doubt and its practical implementation differently, and the bench cannot determine whether the single holdout or the majority of 11 is correct.

When Reddington urged the court to issue more forceful instructions, Judge Sullivan responded, “What do you want me to do?”

Case Background and Next Steps

Facing three murder charges, 36-year-old Lindsay Clancy was accused of strangling her three kids inside their Massachusetts home in January 2023. She entered a plea of not guilty.

Prosecutors maintained during the trial that the killings constituted a deliberate and planned attack. Conversely, the defense argued that Clancy bore no criminal responsibility because she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis at the time of the incident. With the declaration of a mistrial on September 4, 2026, legal proceedings conclude for the current jury panel as prosecutors evaluate how to proceed.