The Lindsay Clancy jury was reportedly 11-1, but repeated deadlocks led Judge William Sullivan toward a mistrial.

Updated on: Sep 4, 2026, 23:21:40 IST

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The Lindsay Clancy jury was reportedly split 11-1 before Judge William Sullivan moved to declare a mistrial in the criminal trial on Friday, September 4. The split appeared to favor acquittal, with one juror standing against the other 11.

The dispute became public after the jury foreperson sent a note saying the lone juror had “made statements acknowledging doubt but refuses to apply it to the verdict as the law states.”

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington then asked the judge to remove the juror, but Sullivan rejected that request. The jury later said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Why was the Lindsay Clancy jury split 11-1?

The reported 11-1 split centered on how the jurors were applying the law on reasonable doubt. According to Reddington, the lone holdout had expressed doubt about the case but was not applying that doubt when considering the verdict.

Reddington told the court: “I have never seen a situation like this where a foreperson on a jury is so courageous as to come forward on behalf of 11 jurors, and indicate that juror number, which I will not mention, ‘has made statements acknowledging doubt, but refuses to apply it to the verdict as the law states.’”

Judge Sullivan did not agree that the note showed the juror was refusing to follow the law. He instead reminded the jury that the prosecution carries the burden of proof and that reasonable doubt does not mean every possible doubt.

Will the Lindsay Clancy holdout juror be removed?

Lindsay Clancy’s defense asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Friday to order the trial court to question the holdout juror again or remove the juror from the panel. The defense called the juror “biased” and said the juror was refusing to follow the judge’s instructions on reasonable doubt.

The seven-page filing argued that court intervention could prevent a mistrial. It said: “Intervention is necessary in this case to avoid an avoidable mistrial of a case that is so time and labor intensive and that has captured so much public attention.”

The filing also accused the trial court of failing to protect the jury’s integrity, stating: “The court has ‘abdicated its responsibility to ensure the integrity of the jury.’”

Judge William Sullivan had said he did not believe he was allowed to question the juror further about the jury’s deliberations. The defense is now asking the Supreme Judicial Court to intervene before the mistrial becomes final.

What happened after the Lindsay Clancy jury deadlocked?

The 12 jurors returned to deliberations Friday morning but soon told Judge William Sullivan they still could not agree. Their third note said: “It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to.”

Sullivan then said he intended to declare a mistrial. Reddington asked for time to seek emergency relief from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the judge allowed a one-hour delay for that appeal. CBS Boston reported that the mistrial had been declared, while the one-hour stay allowed the defense to pursue its emergency request.

The jury had spent more than 36 hours deliberating over seven days after hearing testimony from 85 witnesses. The case involved the deaths of Clancy’s three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, in January 2023. Clancy admitted killing them but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with her defense arguing that postpartum psychosis left her unable to be held criminally responsible.

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