Story perspectives

Judge Orders More Deliberations After Jury Deadlock

9/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Judge William Sullivan ordered additional deliberations after the Massachusetts jury reported a deadlock.
Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, admitted strangling her three children and claimed insanity.
Prosecutors say she planned the killings and understood they were wrong.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argues postpartum psychosis and thirteen prescription drugs prevented Clancy from appreciating wrongdoing.

History

Historical Context

In 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her five children in Houston, Texas, United States, sparking a national debate over postpartum psychosis. Psychiatrist Dr. John LeBon testified that Yates had taken 30 different medications, while the prosecution presented 12 months of psychiatric records. Similarly, Massachusetts prosecutors now argue that former nurse Lindsay Clancy knowingly planned her children’s strangulation despite claiming postpartum psychosis. The Yates precedent led courts to scrutinize mental-health defenses, prompting judges like William Sullivan to order further deliberations when juries deadlock.

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Story summary

Judge William Sullivan ordered additional deliberations after the Massachusetts jury reported a deadlock.
Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, admitted strangling her three children and claimed insanity.
Prosecutors say she planned the killings and understood they were wrong.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argues postpartum psychosis and thirteen prescription drugs prevented Clancy from appreciating wrongdoing.

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