Lawyer Kevin Reddington says 'awesome' Lindsay Clancy is 'like a daughter' after mistrial
Warning: This article contains mentions of child death that some readers may find upsetting
Lindsay Clancy's lawyer has showered her in praise after her trial ended in a mistrial - even though he claimed to have 'won' the case.
After seven days of deadlocked deliberations, Clancy's triple murder trial for the killings of her three children ended in mistrial on a dramatic final day on Friday, 4 September.
Defence Attorney Kevin Reddington fiercely supported his client throughout the lengthy and emotional trial, which continued after the jury was dismissed.
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Speaking outside Plymouth District Court, in Massachusetts, Reddington said: “I’m representing a woman who is a fantastic, wonderful individual. This woman is so brave, so awesome."
As he continued his praise, Reddington then made an accidental gaffe.
"Every day she came into this courthouse, stood tall... no pun intended the poor thing is in a wheelchair for the rest of her life," he said.
"[She] Sat there through seven weeks of a trial where nobody had anything bad to say about her apart from the two prosecutors and apparently Tim Cruz. It's not right what she had to go through because she grieves the loss of those three children."
Later in his lengthy speech, Reddington said on Clancy: "She's like a daughter to me."
Reddington went on to say Clancy's 'life is a tragedy' and that she's a 'classic example of a tragic person', as well as being 'very strong' and a 'very intelligent young woman'.
Reddington claims he 'won' the trial
Reddingtton has been outspoken throughout the trial and came out firing in the aftermath.
Despite starting his conference by claiming it wasn't a time to gloat, he went on to say he 'crushed' the prosecution's case.
"You, Tim, were crushed, as well you should have been," he said, aiming the jibe at Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz.
Cruz said the prosecution have not yet decided if they will go to a retrial. He said: “There will be no decisions made today regarding that."
When asked if he would do anything differently in a retrial, Reddington said: “Why would I? I won the case."
He went onto thank the jury 'minus one' for their efforts, and blamed the alleged holdout juror for preventing the trial reaching a verdict, saying they 'robbed' the other 11, adding he hopes the person can: "Sleep well at night.”
Now the mistrial has been confirmed, the matter will be continued on September 29 for status, trial assignment and a motion to discuss rule 25, with Clancy's prior bail conditions 'remaining in full force and effect' - meaning she will not be walking free.
How Lindsay Clancy's case went to mistrial
Clancy stood accused of killing her three children - Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months - in January 2023.
Though the defence did not dispute that former nurse Clancy, 36, killed her children, they argued throughout that she cannot be held criminally responsible due to suffering from postpartum psychosis and severe mental illness at the time of the killings.
Testimony was heard for five weeks in the high-profile trial with deliberations stretching on for another week.
On Thursday, after six days of deliberations, the 12-person jury - made up nine women and three men - were unable to reach an unanimous verdict.
This led to controversy when it emerged a single juror was not following the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt, with a note delivered to the judge suggesting this was what was holding the jury from reaching a verdict.
Reddington called for the juror to be removed, accusing them of 'refusing to listen to the law,' but Judge Sullivan refused, reminded the jury of his instructions on reasonable doubt and sent them back to continue deliberations.
After the session came to a close, they returned on Friday morning but the jury remained in deadlock, forcing Sullivan to declare a mistrial.
“Each one of you knew how long the case was going to go. You knew how difficult the case was going to be to listen to facts-wise, but still, you braced for that duty," Sullivan said when he thanked the jury.
“I understood that you all gave everything you could, and probably more than you thought you could, and so, on behalf myself, I just want to thank you so much."
Speaking after the court was dismissed, prosecutor Cruz said: “We’re here at this court house today because those children are not.
“I appreciate the fact that there are strong feelings and opinions tied to this case. However, our job is to set aside our feelings and focus solely on the facts.”
Donald Trump has since commented on the case, calling it a 'horrible tragedy' and claiming Clancy has a 'price to pay.'
Topics: Lindsay Clancy, US News, Crime
Daniel Murphy