Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued in a status conference on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, that there is no evidence Lindsay Clancy killed her three children. The 36-year-old Massachusetts woman appeared in Plymouth Superior Court for the first time since her murder trial ended in a mistrial on September 4, 2026. Reddington requested that the judge issue a directive of not guilty and argued that a retrial would subject Clancy to double jeopardy, a legal protection against being tried twice for the same crime.
The hearing follows a trial where jurors in Plymouth County Superior Court deadlocked after seven days of deliberation. The jury was reportedly split 11 to 1 in favor of acquittal. The mistrial occurred after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on charges that Clancy strangled her children—Cora, Dawson, and Callan—with exercise bands in the basement of their Duxbury home in 2023. During the first trial, the defense did not dispute that Clancy caused the deaths but argued she was not criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis, a rare mental health condition.
On Tuesday, Reddington shifted the defense strategy, questioning the sufficiency of the prosecution's evidence. He challenged the accuracy of statements Clancy made in the hospital following an attempted suicide, claiming she was "told what happened" rather than admitting to the acts. Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham countered that the evidence is "voluminous," citing DNA found on the exercise bands and testimony from a hospital chaplain who stated Clancy admitted she had to kill the children.
The scale of the case is highlighted by the 12-person jury's near-total agreement on acquittal during the first trial, with 11 jurors reportedly favoring that outcome. If a retrial proceeds, it will require another extensive selection process for jurors in Plymouth County and a significant expenditure of court resources. A person following this case would notice the concrete change in defense strategy from an insanity-based defense to a direct challenge of the prosecution's proof that Clancy committed the physical acts. This shift forces the court to re-examine the original investigation, which Reddington characterized as "ridiculous" for immediately assuming his client's guilt.
The knock-on effects include potential precedents regarding the "Latimore standard," a Massachusetts legal test used to determine if evidence is sufficient to sustain a conviction. If the judge grants a directive of not guilty, it could impact how future murder cases involving mental health and circumstantial evidence are prosecuted in the state. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz stated his office is conducting a "thorough review" before deciding whether to pursue a retrial. A hearing to consider the motion to dismiss and other defense filings is scheduled for November 2, 2026.