Clancy defense attorney: Lindsay deserved an acquittal
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington addressed the mistrial declared by Plymouth County Superior Court Judge William Sullivan after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. He discussed his disappointment, criticized the prosecution, maintained that the evidence supported an acquittal and outlined what he expects as Lindsay Clancy’s case moves toward a possible retrial.
Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children to death, has added the lawyer who fought Karen Read’s retrial to her defense team as she seeks to have her own case dismissed.
Clancy’s closely watched murder trial ended with jurors reportedly split 11-1 in favor of finding her not criminally responsible. She has now brought veteran Boston attorney Martin Weinberg into the case.
Weinberg entered a limited appearance Tuesday to file and argue an upcoming motion seeking dismissal on double-jeopardy grounds, according to a Plymouth Superior Court filing obtained by News Outlet.
The filing says Weinberg will represent Clancy in connection with the dismissal request and “related matters.”
Lindsay Clancy sits next to her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, during her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court on August 11, 2026. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The filing does not specify when Weinberg will submit the motion. Clancy’s case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 29.
Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Sept. 4, after the jury deliberated for seven days and reported that it could not reach a unanimous decision.
Several jurors later said 11 members favored finding Clancy not guilty by reason of a lack of criminal responsibility, while one juror supported conviction.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington addresses reporters as jurors weigh the case against Lindsay Clancy in the 2023 deaths of her three children. (Joseph Prezioso/ AFP via Getty Images)
Reddington, Clancy’s longtime attorney, said immediately after the mistrial that he would oppose any effort to try her again.
The defense is expected to argue that the circumstances leading to the mistrial prevent prosecutors from bringing the case to trial a second time. Although prosecutors can generally retry a defendant after a jury deadlocks, Clancy’s attorneys are expected to contend that the way this mistrial unfolded makes another trial improper.
Karen Read outside the Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Richard Beetham for Fox New Digital)
Weinberg pursued a similar legal challenge for Read after her 2024 trial ended without a verdict.
Read’s attorneys said jurors later told them they had unanimously agreed to acquit her of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash, although they remained divided over the manslaughter charge.
Weinberg argued that Read should not face those two charges again. A judge rejected the request, finding that the jury never formally returned not-guilty verdicts and that Read’s attorneys had agreed to the mistrial.
The battle continued in state and federal court before Read was retried in 2025. She was acquitted of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly crash but convicted of misdemeanor operating under the influence.
Lindsay Clancy looks on as jurors enter the courtroom during Clancy’s murder trial at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Sept. 4, 2026. (Greg Derr / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Clancy is accused of strangling her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan, with exercise bands inside the family’s Duxbury home in January 2023.
She then jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt, leaving her paralyzed, authorities said.
Clancy does not deny killing the children but pleaded not guilty because her attorneys say she was not criminally responsible at the time. Her defense argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was heavily medicated when the children died.
Prosecutors countered that Clancy carefully planned the killings, sending her husband, Patrick Clancy, out of the house before attacking the children.
Defendant Lindsay Clancy listens during her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass., on Thursday, July 30, 2026. (CJ Gunther/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Clancy remains in custody at Tewksbury Hospital. Prosecutors have not publicly announced whether they intend to retry her.
Sullivan also ordered the identities of the 12 jurors and six alternates who served in Clancy’s trial to remain private indefinitely amid safety concerns and the unauthorized disclosure of jurors’ personal information.
The judge wrote that jurors had been identified without their permission and that at least one juror had asked for the protection to be extended indefinitely.
“Based on the circumstances of this trial and the fact that the case continues to receive daily, divisive attention in Massachusetts and beyond, the Court concludes that there is a real and present ‘risk of [personal] harm to the jurors [and] to the integrity of their service,’” Sullivan wrote in the order obtained by Fox News.
Sullivan also found “a risk of immediate and irreparable injury” if the juror list were made public. The order does not prevent jurors from identifying themselves or speaking with the media if they choose.
In a separate order, Sullivan temporarily extended the protection covering the names of the larger pool summoned for jury duty from July 20 through July 24. Those names will remain impounded for another 10 days because of concerns about juror safety.
