Judge William Sullivan has declined a request to remove a single holdout juror in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, ordering the deadlocked panel to return for a seventh day of deliberations on Friday. The decision follows a revelation that one juror is allegedly refusing to follow court instructions regarding the legal standard of reasonable doubt.
Judge Denies Request to Remove Holdout Juror in Lindsay Clancy Trial
The conflict surfaced on Thursday, September 3, 2026, when the jury’s foreperson delivered a note to the judge stating that one of the 12 jurors refuses to listen to the law
on reasonable doubt, according to defense attorney Kevin Reddington. The jury consists of nine women and three men. This disclosure came after the jury had already informed the judge twice previously, on Tuesday and Wednesday, that they were deadlocked.
In response to the note, Judge Sullivan questioned each juror individually in private at a sidebar. He subsequently reread the instructions on reasonable doubt to the full panel before sending them back to deliberate. However, Reddington argued that the judge’s approach was too soft
and did not sufficiently address the issue. Reddington formally moved to have the holdout juror removed and replaced with an alternate, asserting that every defendant is entitled to a juror who is true to their oath
.
Judge Sullivan denied the motion, stating he could not intervene in the deliberations. I don’t feel it is proper to side with one side or the other of the deliberations,
Sullivan explained, adding that it was not appropriate for him to agree with either the single juror or the other eleven.
The Charges and Defense
Lindsay Clancy, 36, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, is accused of killing her three children on January 24, 2023. The victims were Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and eight-month-old Callan. Prosecutors presented evidence that Clancy strangled the children with exercise bands in the basement of their home in Duxbury, a suburb of Boston, while her then-husband was running an errand.
The defense does not dispute that the killings occurred but argues that Clancy is not criminally responsible. Her legal team contends she was suffering from postpartum psychosis—a rare mental health condition affecting a mother’s sense of reality—and bipolar disorder. Following the killings, Clancy attempted to take her own life, an act that left her paralyzed.
Prosecutors are seeking convictions on three counts of first-degree murder. They argue that Clancy plotted to get her husband out of the house to carry out the killings and that she was able to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions.
Legal Stakes and Potential Outcomes
The outcome of the deliberations carries significant legal consequences for Clancy:
- Conviction: If found guilty of first-degree murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole.
- Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity: If found not guilty by reason of insanity or lack of criminal responsibility, she could be committed to a state psychiatric hospital for evaluation.
- Mistrial: If the jury remains unable to reach a unanimous verdict, Judge Sullivan could declare a mistrial and dismiss the panel.
Under U.S. law, the burden of proof lies with the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the strictest standard in the legal system. If a mistrial is declared, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office would have to decide whether to retry the case.
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