The high-profile trial in Massachusetts has ended without a verdict after jurors failed to agree on whether Lindsay Clancy, the 36-year-old former nurse accused of killing her three children, was criminally responsible for their deaths. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial on Friday, following seven days of deliberations in which the panel reported being deadlocked three times.

Clancy will return to Tewksbury State Hospital, the psychiatric facility in Massachusetts where she has been held throughout the case. Patrick Clancy, her former husband, said through his lawyer that the prospect of a second trial was extremely painful for him and his family.

🚨 JUST NOW: The District Attorney in the Lindsay Clancy trial just got EMOTIONAL while honoring the three children kiIIed by Clancy

These BABIES were the victims. NOT Lindsay.

"Our priority has ALWAYS been to fight for Cora, for Dawson, and for Callan."

"The facts are Lindsey… pic.twitter.com/lfFamogYy8

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 4, 2026

Patrick Clancy’s lawyer, David Meier, said in a statement that his client was grateful to the court and the jurors for their hard work, commitment and perseverance. He said the loss of Patrick’s children was something he would never recover from and for which there would never be true closure, adding that reliving the tragedy through a fresh trial would be extremely painful for Patrick, his family and everyone involved.

Trump weighs in: “there’ll be a price”

US President Donald Trump commented on the case minutes after the mistrial was announced. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, he said he assumed there would be another trial and described the situation as terrible. He said Clancy had done something horrible that could not be worse, but that she would face consequences, whether in a psychiatric institution, prison, or otherwise, adding simply: “there’ll be a price.”

NEW: President Trump reacts to the Lindsay Clancy case being declared a mistrial:

"It's a shame. It's a horrible tragedy."

"She did a horrible, horrible thing. Can't be worse."

Trump says he assumes another trial will follow, adding, "But you'll find out what the price to pay… pic.twitter.com/uFU9ufs2R7

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 4, 2026

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not yet said whether his office will seek a second trial, consider a plea deal, reduce the charges, or drop the case altogether. Speaking outside court, Cruz defended the decision to prosecute, saying the evidence and the law supported first-degree murder charges, and criticised what he called the “disgusting” online treatment of the two female prosecutors on the case.

The judge said a new trial could begin as early as the autumn.

Jurors fail to reach agreement

The trial concluded without a verdict after jurors told Judge Sullivan that, with a heavy heart, they remained deadlocked for a third time. The panel of nine women and three men was reportedly split 11 to 1.

Jurors had deliberated for around 38 hours over seven days, following five weeks of hearings that included testimony from more than 80 witnesses and roughly 300 exhibits, without reaching a unanimous decision.

Clancy’s defence lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argued that a single juror was blocking the panel from reaching an agreement, saying the juror was not following the judge’s instructions on reasonable doubt.

The judge had been prepared to declare the trial void when Reddington unexpectedly asked for time to file an emergency appeal. He was given one hour to approach the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, but the appeal was rejected and the mistrial was declared shortly afterwards.

The charge over the murder of three children

Clancy faces three counts of first-degree murder, having admitted to strangling her children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan, with exercise bands.

The children were found dead in January 2023 in the basement of the family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after Clancy had sent her husband out on an errand. Her defence rested on the argument that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and was not aware of her actions.

Clancy remains in psychiatric hospital pending new trial

Following the mistrial, Clancy is expected to return to Tewksbury State Hospital, where she has been held throughout the case, and will remain there until further notice, according to Reddington.

Clancy, a former labour and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was transferred to the state psychiatric facility after a suicide attempt that followed the killings. Her defence has said she was overmedicated with a combination of psychiatric drugs at the time.

After the killings, Clancy reportedly cut her wrists and neck before jumping from the second floor of her home, leaving her with serious injuries and paralysis from the waist down.

During the trial, Dr Avram Mack, a forensic and child and adolescent psychiatrist called as a prosecution expert witness, described Clancy’s daily life at Tewksbury to the court, painting a picture of a highly restricted and difficult existence at the facility.

Patrick Clancy’s testimony

Patrick Clancy testified early in the trial, on 29 July, describing the difficulties his then wife had faced with her mental health before the killings. He told the court she had repeatedly sought help for her deteriorating mental state, and described finding her in the backyard of their home after a suicide attempt, having already killed their children.

Jurors also heard the recorded 911 call from 24 January 2023, in which Patrick can be heard shouting that Lindsay had killed the children.

After his testimony, Patrick Clancy did not appear again in court in Plymouth. He is reportedly living roughly 200 miles away in New York, where he has since remarried, to Dr Rachel Danis, a fertility specialist.