Lindsay Clancy's lawyer now questions whether there is proof she killed
her 3 children
[September 30, 2026]
By MICHAEL CASEY and JENNIFER PELTZ
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Lindsay Clancy's lawyer argued Tuesday that there
wasn’t enough evidence to prove she killed her three children, a
striking turn after a lengthy trial that focused more on her mental
state than on whether she took their lives.
“This entire case is based on speculation,” attorney Kevin Reddington
said during the first hearing since Clancy's trial ended Sept. 4 with a
deadlocked jury. They were split 11 to 1 in her favor.
During that trial, Reddington didn't dispute that Clancy killed the
children at the family's home in 2023. Instead, the defense sought to
persuade the jury that the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse
was not criminally responsible because of mental disease, a rare
condition called postpartum psychosis.
Clancy's lawyer now says there is not enough evidence to prove she
did it
But at Tuesday's hearing, Reddington sought to persuade Judge William
Sullivan — the same judge who presided over the first trial — to acquit
Clancy.
There is, Reddington contended, not enough evidence “that this woman
killed those children.” He pointed to matters ranging from her condition
when she was found badly injured and bleeding in the yard outside her
home, to her lack of memory of what happened when she woke up in a
hospital. At the first trial, her now ex-husband and first responders
testified that they arrived at the house and discovered she had tried to
kill herself right after killing the children.
“Where is the admission? Where does she say that she did this?”
Reddington said, going on to recap his arguments that she also was
psychotic and delusional at the time of the children's deaths. He didn’t
offer alternative theories or evidence about who might be responsible.
Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham called his argument “laughable.”
At the trial, jurors heard testimony that Clancy said she heard voices
instructing her to kill her children. Her DNA was found on exercise
bands used to strangle them. Before the trial, Reddington himself filed
a motion in which he said Clancy was willing to stipulate, in writing,
to her involvement in the children’s deaths.
“For the first time, the defendant is arguing that there is no evidence
she did this,” Buckingham told the judge. “I’d suggest to you the entire
record is voluminous as to information supporting the fact that she did
this.”
The judge didn’t immediately rule and no trial date was set.
The prosecution maintains that Clancy knew her actions were wrong when
she used exercise bands to strangle 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson
and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. They said she contrived to get her
husband out of the house that evening by sending him to pick up medicine
for one of their children and dinner for the family.
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Lindsay Clancy sits in Plymouth Superior Court, Tuesday, Sept. 29,
2026, during a hearing set to determine the next steps after a
mistrial was declared on Sept. 4th, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The
Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
It's still unknown whether Clancy will face a second trial
Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to retry Clancy, Plymouth
County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said after the hearing. They
could choose to retry her on first-degree murder charges or pursue
lesser charges, including second-degree murder or manslaughter, or
drop the case entirely.
“We are going to do what we can for the children,” Cruz told
reporters outside court. “That is what this case is about.”
Legal wrangling over the holdout juror is also unresolved
Clancy's attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the criminal
case. Among other things, they have argued that the judge should
have ousted the one juror who favored a murder conviction after the
jury foreperson complained he was refusing to listen to the law on
reasonable doubt.
The juror, Michael Desronvil, has said through his lawyer that he
had no doubts about his stance. Desronvil told Fox News’ “Hannity”
in a brief video statement Monday that “the whole focus has been on
me, but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the
three angels,” meaning the children.
The case is still capturing attention
The livestreamed trial generated intense public interest and drew
attention to maternal mental health after childbirth. About a dozen
Clancy supporters, most dressed in pink, stood outside court Tuesday
waiting for her.
Clancy remains charged with murder and is expected to stay at a
psychiatric hospital until her case is resolved.
She could have been sentenced to life in prison if convicted of
murder. If acquitted, the judge could have ordered her confined to a
mental health facility.
___
Peltz reported from New York.
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