Lindsay Clancy, a woman from the United States, was found guilty of homicide by strangulation of her three children in 2023. After approximately 38 hours of deliberations, the judge in the case declared the trial null on Friday, after the defense failed to obtain a last-minute postponement in a higher court. The decision came after the jury sent a message saying that, "with heavy hearts," they had been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Clancy's lawyers argue that she should not be held criminally responsible for the deaths, as she was, at the time, in the midst of a postpartum psychosis episode. The defense filed an emergency motion requesting that the state's Supreme Judicial Court suspend the trial, but the court did not rule in time.
The case deeply divided American public opinion and brought attention to access to mental health care for new mothers facing conditions like postpartum psychosis, a rare but serious condition that can occur after childbirth. The new trial date has not yet been set.
