A judge has officially declared a mistrial in the blockbuster murder case against US mother Lindsay Clancy after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
Ms Clancy, 36, is accused of killing her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and eight-month-old Callan — at their home in January 2023. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, with her defence arguing she was suffering severe postpartum psychosis.
The ruling brings the high-profile trial to a dramatic end after seven days of deliberations and a last-ditch legal bid from Ms Clancy’s lawyer Kevin Reddington.
Jurors returned to court on Friday after revealing they remained deadlocked, with the foreperson previously raising concerns that one juror was not properly applying the judge’s directions on reasonable doubt.
Mr Reddington asked for the juror to be removed or questioned further, but Judge Sullivan rejected the request and sent the jury back to continue deliberating.
About 90 minutes later, the jury sent another note saying it remained hopelessly deadlocked and would not be able to reach a unanimous verdict.
“It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to,” the jury note read.
Judge William Sullivan indicated he would declare a mistrial, prompting Mr Reddington to seek an emergency appeal in a bid to keep the jury deliberating.
That application was rejected, and Judge Sullivan formally declared a mistrial and discharged the jury.
“Members of the jury, at this point, I’m going to declare that the jury is deadlocked and I’m going to declare a mistrial,” he said.
The judge thanked the jurors for their time and commitment to the trial.
“I just kind of wanted to let you know I understood how hard everybody worked in this case. I understood that you all gave everything you could, and probably more than you thought you could,” he said.
“And so, on behalf of myself, I just want to thank you so much … you should be proud for what you did. You braced for that duty. You performed that duty.”
Prosecutors now have to decide if they will retry Ms Clancy, negotiate a plea deal or drop the charges.
The case will return to court on September 29 for a status hearing.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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