Court denies defense attorney’s motion to find Lindsay Clancy not guilty in murder of 3 children
The Plymouth Superior Court in Massachusetts denied a motion Thursday that would have found Lindsay Clancy not guilty in the murder of her three children.
Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued Tuesday, the first hearing after her mistrial, that the prosecution failed to prove she caused their deaths.
“Where does she say she did this?” Reddington said in court on Tuesday.
“The Court finds that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth and with the reasonable inferences permitted to be drawn, was sufficient to have satisfied any rational trier of fact beyond a reasonable doubt as to the essential element of the defendant’s criminal responsibility,” a court document announcing the motion stated.
Previous coverage in player above: Surprising twist in Lindsay Clancy case
The court stated several reasons why the motion was denied, including the issue of criminal responsibility.
Massachusetts District Judge Jim Barretto responded to Reddington’s motion Tuesday.
“I almost don’t know what to make of it,” Barretto responded during a live interview with sister station WCVB. “I’ve heard hundreds, if not thousands, of motions for required finding of not guilty. I never expected this: Attorney Reddington, while arguing that motion, actually asserted that Lindsay Clancy — or that there was no evidence that — Lindsay Clancy killed her children.”
Barretto continued, “That was a bedrock fact which he himself virtually conceded throughout the entire trial.”
Video below: Judge reflects on hearing
Clancy, 36, was accused of killing her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on Jan. 24, 2023. Her defense argued she was not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings.
A mistrial was declared Sept. 4 after jurors told the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked, with an 11-1 split in favor of acquittal after seven days of deliberations.
Reddington’s unexpected argument was part of his renewed motion for a required finding of not guilty, and in his speech to the judge he traced the origins of that motion back to his pretrial request to split the trial into two parts. Back in April, the defense offered to admit to the killings and argued the only “live issue” for the court to decide was Clancy’s state of mind.
Tuesday, however, Reddington argued differently.
Video below: Reddington disputes evidence
“As this woman sits in front of you today, I suggest to the court they did not prove probable cause, and they certainly did not prove that she was not acting at the time of the psychosis and should be found not guilty,” Reddington said.
Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham said this is the first time the defense is arguing that there is no evidence Clancy committed the crime of killing her children.
“I suggest to you that the entire record is voluminous as to the information supporting the fact that she did this,” Buckingham said.
Buckingham argued that the facts support premeditation and extreme cruelty/atrocity, which are the standards that must be met to prove first-degree murder.
After hearing both arguments, Judge William Sullivan said he would take the motion to dismiss under advisement.
If Sullivan grants Reddington’s motion and enters a required finding, Barretto said the case would end without a retrial.
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Background of the Clancy case:
- Lindsay Clancy, 36, faces three murder charges in the 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan.
- She also jumped from a second-floor window, leaving her partially paralyzed.
- In a civil case, Lindsay Clancy alleges a “catastrophic failure” of multiple medical providers in diagnosing and treating her psychiatric condition.
- Her trial began July 20. Although her legal team offered to stipulate to the deaths of the children, she has pleaded not guilty.
- She is being held at Tewksbury State Hospital.
This case involves issues of mental health. If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can chat online here.
