How the Lindsay Clancy trial gripped America - and ultimately fell apart

The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, has ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Clancy was charged with murdering her three children, aged 5, 3, and infant, at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023. Her defense team argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings, while prosecutors maintained that she was criminally responsible.

The trial, which lasted nearly six weeks, drew widespread attention and was broadcast online and on TV. The judge, William Sullivan, has set a hearing for September 29 to determine the next steps in the case. Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, is likely to ask the judge to declare her not guilty, although this is considered a long shot. Prosecutors may choose to retry Clancy, seek a plea deal, or drop the case entirely.

Clancy remains charged with murder and will continue to be held in a psychiatric hospital until the case is resolved. The case has sparked debate in the US over mental illness and culpability. According to the Associated Press, a decision on what happens next may be made at the September 29 hearing, with Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz declining to make an immediate announcement about retrying Clancy.

Brief written by urgent.news from BBC News, Associated Press, ABC News (US), Winnipeg Free Press, The Age — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.