Warning: This story contains distressing details and discussion of attempted suicide A Massachusetts judge has declared a mistrial in the murder case against Lindsay Clancy after jurors, who deliberated for about a week, conceded they would not be able to unanimously decide whether she should be held criminally liable for killing her three young children. The case against Clancy has both captivated and heavily divided the American public, even spurring remarks from the US president. There was a sense of disbelief in the courtroom as the case - and Clancy's future - are now left in limbo.
Clancy's lawyer led a dramatic last-ditch attempt to halt the mistrial and force a verdict, which was unsuccessful. A hearing later this month could establish what happens next in the case. What happens next after Lindsay Clancy's murder case ends in a mistrial?
Key moments from Lindsay Clancy's trial over children's killings "At this point, I'm going to declare that the jury is deadlocked, and I'm going to declare a mistrial," Judge Sullivan told the jury on Friday, dismissing them after weeks of testimony, nearly a week mulling Clancy's fate and the panel signalling three times that they were deadlocked. The deadlock - known as a hung jury - does not mean prosecutors have proven their case, nor does it mean the defendant is not guilty. A hearing was scheduled for 29 September, where prosecutors could outline their next steps in the case.
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old former nurse will remain held on the same murder charges and maintain staying in the mental health facility where she is housed now. Prosecutors could decide from a host of options on what happens next, including holding another trial or coming to a plea agreement with Clancy over the strangulation of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, eight months - in their Massachusetts home. After killing the children, Clancy cut herself with a knife and jumped from a second-story window in an attempt to take her own life, which has left her paralysed.
Clancy does not deny killing the children in 2023 but pleaded not guilty to the three first-degree murder charges, with her lawyers arguing she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. The grim case led to a series of dramatic twists and turns as the jury deliberated Clancy's fate. On Friday, court began with Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington pushing for a juror on the panel to be removed, after the jury indicated a day prior in a note that a member of the panel was not following instructions on reasonable doubt.
Under US law, a jury must unanimously believe "beyond a reasonable doubt" that someone is guilty in order to convict them of a crime. The designation is the strictest standard in the US legal system. It places the burden on the government to prove that the accused is guilty, and not the accused to prove their innocence.
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