Crime · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Kevin Reddington Asks Trump to Pardon Lindsay Clancy After Duxbury Murder Mistrial
Lindsay Clancy's trial ended in a hung jury, resulting in a mistrial. Her attorney urged President Trump to consider a pardon for Clancy.
Most outlets consistently describe the mistrial.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: jurors said the 911 audio played in deliberations and was not broadcast during trial.
18outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
ABC News
“Instead, she would need to appeal to state authorities in Massachusetts, according to the U.S.”Read the original ↗
Reuters
“A president's pardon power applies only to federal crimes, and Clancy was prosecuted under state law.”Read the original ↗
Two outlets explicitly stress legal limits, shaping readers’ view of the pardon request.
Mistrial in Massachusetts
Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict in a case over the deaths of her three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, at the family’s home in Duxbury, a Boston suburb, on Jan. 24, 2023.
“Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder charges for the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora”
Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder charges for the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and infant son Callan, and her five-week trial ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4 after over a week of deliberations.
Her attorney Kevin Reddington said he was hopeful for an agreement between the defense and the district attorney after the hung jury, and he also asked President Donald Trump to consider a pardon.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz declined to announce an immediate decision about retrying Clancy on Sept. 4, saying, "However, our job is to set aside our feelings and focus solely on the facts."
Cruz added that the facts were that "Lindsay Clancy killed her three children" and that the evidence suggested she was in control when she committed the homicides.
Holdout juror controversy
Three jurors from the Lindsay Clancy trial spoke out about the deliberations, describing an 11-1 split and a lone holdout who would not agree to a verdict.
NBC News reported that jury foreperson Roni Carlson said a male juror "admitted he had reasonable doubt" and then added, "But I’m still not going to say that she’s not guilty by reason of insanity."
CBS News reported that a juror who spoke to WBZ-TV said, "At the end of the day, there was so much doubt," and said the prosecution did not present a "figurative smoking gun."
The juror described how the majority tried to sway the lone holdout from the start of deliberations, saying, "The majority of people, it doesn't matter what side they were on, were very firm in their stance."
Prosecutors have not yet said if they will retry the case after the mistrial, while the two sides were scheduled to be in court on Sept. 29 to determine next steps following the mistrial.
Pardon request and next steps
After the mistrial, Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington asked President Donald Trump to pardon her, even as Reuters reported that the case was prosecuted under state law.R
“"Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady"”
Reuters said Reddington told ABC’s "Good Morning America," "Mr. RPresident, I would hope that you would consider this young lady, the type of person she is and what she’s been through, and consider a pardon," and it noted that a president’s pardon power applies only to federal crimes.
The New York Times reported that Trump does not have the power to wipe away the state murder charges, citing that presidential pardons cover "offenses against the United States."
The New York Times also said any pardon would have to come from the governor of Massachusetts, while ABC News reported that Clancy would need to appeal to state authorities in Massachusetts because she was not convicted.A
With the case unresolved after the mistrial declared by Judge William Sullivan, the sources said a status hearing was set for Sept. 29, and Cruz had declined to announce an immediate decision about retrying Clancy on Sept. 4.