MICHAEL RUIZ: Lindsay Clancy judge denies double jeopardy motion and explains jury notes after deadlock

The Massachusetts judge overseeing the murder case against Lindsay Clancy has denied her motion to dismiss the case on double jeopardy claims, clearing the way for a retrial in the strangling deaths of her three young children that some experts believe could have a better chance at a guilty verdict."Because the Court concludes that there was a manifest necessity for a mistrial based on the jury’s deadlock, a retrial on the murder indictments does not violate Clancy’s right not to be placed in double jeopardy," Judge William Sullivan wrote in a 17-page order and memorandum made public Monday.Clancy's 26-day trial ended with a deadlocked jury on Sept.4, with jurors later saying publicly that 11 of them accepted her insanity defense and one wanted to find her guilty of first-degree murder for what the holdout called the "methodical" slayings of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months.LINDSAY CLANCY DEFENSE FILES MOTION TO DISMISS UNDER DOUBLE JEOPARDY GROUNDS, WITH FOCUS ON HOLDOUT JURORJudge William Sullivan indicates he was going to declare a mistrial before changing course and giving Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney one hour to appeal as the jury in the case has indicated that they are unable to reach a verdict on Friday, Sept.

4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass.(Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)Had the motion been granted, Clancy would not face a potential second trial, said Randolph Rice, a trial attorney and former prosecutor who is not connected to the case.Now, he says, the order gives prosecutors a chance to address what went wrong with their case in the first trial."I think there's real possibility that D.A.

[Tim] Cruz says, 'We're going back to trial...and we have learned from our mistakes.'"Among the lessons learned, Rice said, may be that Plymouth County prosecutors did not show jurors enough empathy when presenting their case after 11 of the 12 jurors voted against them.What a second trial may look like remains unclear as prosecutors have so far ...