Lindsay Clancy update: What's next after judge rejects not-guilty motion? Could she face a retrial?

Lindsay Clancy’s murder case is not over yet. A judge on Thursday rejected her defense team’s request for a not guilty finding.

Judge William Sullivan has rejected Lindsay Clancy’s request for a not guilty finding. (Greg Derr/Pool The Patriot Ledge)Judge William Sullivan said prosecutors had presented enough evidence for a jury to decide whether Clancy was responsible for the deaths of her three children. The ruling follows her first trial ending in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked.

Judge William Sullivan turned down a defense motion on Thursday. The motion argued there was not enough evidence to prove Clancy was responsible for killing her three children.

Sullivan did not rule in court. He issued a written order on Thursday denying the motion.

Sullivan said prosecutors gave enough evidence for a jury to decide who was responsible for the killings. "There was evidence introduced, both physical and circumstantial, that would permit a rational trier of fact to find beyond a reasonable doubt the elements of the charge of murder," he wrote.

"With respect to the elements of murder and the identity of who committed the alleged crimes, the evidence presented by the Commonwealth in its case in chief … was sufficient to satisfy any rational trier of fact beyond a reasonable doubt," Sullivan wrote.

Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington filed the motion after her seven-week trial ended in a mistrial last month. He asked the judge to find Clancy not guilty.

Reddington argued Tuesday that prosecutors had not provided proof that Clancy killed her three children.

Reddington said Clancy never admitted to the killings. He also said there was no full investigation into the deaths. “They just immediately assumed that this woman was guilty,” he told the court Tuesday, as per CNN.

Reddington’s argument appeared to differ from what he had said during the trial. After the hearing, he was asked if he was now saying that Clancy did not kill her children.

“It’s not new rocket science by any means. It’s the fact that they cannot prove probable cause,” he said.

However, the prosecutors said there was plenty of evidence. They called Reddington's claim “laughable”, as per The Guardian.

Clancy still has another motion to dismiss the case pending in court. The Plymouth County, Massachusetts, district attorney has not said whether prosecutors will seek a retrial.

Sullivan is set to hear arguments on that motion at the next hearing on November 2. The motion involves double jeopardy and other issues linked to the holdout juror.

The judge also wants to set a date for a second trial. Reddington said he is not available for a trial before June because of his caseload, as per CNN.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, is a former labor and delivery nurse charged with murder over the deaths of her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan, at the family's home in January 2023.

At her trial, her lawyer did not dispute that she killed them, but argued she was not criminally responsible because of postpartum psychosis.

Prosecutors said she had mental health problems but knew what she was doing. Her seven-week trial ended in a mistrial last month after the jury was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquitting her of murder.

Khushi Arora is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she writes for the US Desk, covering everything happening in the United States, while maintaining quality and delivering impactful stories across all beats. She previously worked at Zee News for over a year where she explored multiple beats including News Desk, Education and Lifestyle. With a background in English Literature, Khushi blends sharp research with thoughtful storytelling, shaping stories that go beyond headlines and bring clarity and credibility to every piece she writes. Beyond the newsroom, she enjoys reading, watching cinema and loves having long conversations about books, films and everything in between.Read More