Lindsay Clancy Trial: Massachusetts SJC hears emergency appeal filed by defense

After Judge Sullivan initially indicated that he was prepared to declare a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy trial, Clancy’s defense filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The outcome of the trial is now in the hands of a justice who has taken the matter under advisement.

Reddington filed the formal appeal around 12:30, almost exactly an hour after Judge Sullivan. An emergency hearing began at 1:30 p.m. and a justice has taken the matter under advisement.

Boston 25 News has obtained a copy of the appeal. It can be viewed below:

In the appeal, Reddington argues that an apparent holdout juror is preventing Clancy from receiving a fair trial.

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“Intervention is necessary in this case to avoid an avoidable mistrial of a case that is so time and labor intensive and that has captured so much public attention,” Reddington writes in the appeal. “It is also necessary to preserve the Defendant’s right to a fair trial by unbiased jurors applying the law and to avoid violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and Article 114, which makes mental illness a protected category.”

Judge Sullivan told Reddington that he had an hour to complete the process before he brought the jury back in. The mistrial is not a legitimate ruling until the decision is read in open court.

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after more than 7 days of deliberations.

Judge Sullivan ruled that he was going to declare a mistrial after the jurors returned with a third note, explaining that they still could not come to a consensus.

The jurors will remain in the building as the justice considers the matter.

Clancy was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of Cora Clancy, Dawson Clancy and Callan Clancy. Her three children were all under the age of 5 when they were found strangled to death in the basement of their Duxbury home.

Friday’s explosive outcome follows a stunning day in court Thursday, when Reddington pleaded for the judge to question the juror identified by the jury foreperson as not following the judge’s instructions regarding reasonable doubt.

Reddington took issue with the judge deciding the jurors to continue deliberating Friday as usual without any inquiry or acknowledgement of Thursday’s dramatic events.

Reddington on Thursday pushed for the judge to replace the potential holdout juror with an alternate but Judge Sullivan said a juror may be discharged only for reasons personal to that juror.

Reddington also filed an emergency motion Friday morning, asking the judge to stop holding sidebar discussions during the trial and have future arguments and proceedings handled in open court.

If the mistrial ruling is held up, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office could try Clancy again at a later date or opt to drop their case entirely.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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