Following the recent mistrial in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder case, three jurors have come forward to share details about the tense deliberations that left the panel deadlocked at 11-1.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with NBC10 Boston, jury foreperson Roni Carlson revealed that a single male juror prevented the panel from acquitting the Massachusetts mother. Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder for strangling her three young children—Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (8 months)—in January 2023 before attempting suicide, an act that left her paralyzed. Her defense argued that she suffered a psychotic break due to severe postpartum depression and overmedication, asserting she was not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.
According to Carlson, the 11 other jurors agreed that Clancy was not criminally responsible. The lone holdout, however, refused to acquit her, even after reportedly admitting he had reasonable doubt.
“He had reasonable doubt. He admitted he had reasonable doubt… I started filling out the forms. I was so excited,” Carlson recalled, noting she had even begun signing the paperwork. “Then he said, ‘But I’m still not going to say that she’s not guilty by reason of insanity.’”
Another juror described the holdout as “very arrogant,” explaining that he dismissed the perspectives of others in the room. When nurses on the jury attempted to explain the medical toxicology reports to him, he reportedly disregarded their insights. The jurors noted that he had a difficult time moving past the grim reality of the children’s deaths, despite the group’s repeated attempts to read him the legal definition of reasonable doubt.
The 12-person jury—comprising nine women and three men—deliberated for over 38 hours across seven days. The foreperson eventually sent a note to Judge William Sullivan, expressing concerns that the holdout was failing to follow the court’s instructions regarding reasonable doubt. The judge interviewed each juror individually to review the instructions but opted not to remove the man.
The failure to reach a unanimous verdict led Judge Sullivan to declare a mistrial on Friday. Clancy currently remains in a psychiatric hospital, and a status hearing is scheduled for September 29 to determine whether prosecutors will seek a retrial.
Lindsay Clancy Mistrial: The Holdout Juror
This video discusses the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case and provides commentary on the lone juror who refused to acquit her despite the insanity defense.