President Donald Trump said Lindsay Clancy will still have to pay "the price" for the deaths of her three small children - Cora 5, Dawson 3, and Callan, 8 months - after a mistrial was declared Friday.
During a press gaggle in the Oval Office, a reporter asked Trump if he'd been following the murder trial of Clancy, a Massachusetts mom whose defense did not deny that she strangled her children with exercise bands in January 2023.
It argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity. Her attorneys claimed she suffered from postpartum psychosis, a severe but rare psychiatric condition in which a person is disconnected from reality.
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"It's a horrible tragedy," Trump told reporters. "It's a horrible tragedy. I see what's happened, and it looks like it's a hung jury."
"I assume there's going to be another trial. It's a terrible situation. Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can't be worse. But you'll find out what the price to pay is. There'll be a price. It's going to be [a] mental institution or jail or something."
The six-week trial, which was supposed to determine whether Clancy was to be held criminally responsible, quickly evolved into a flashpoint in the internet culture war over women's postpartum mental health and spurred misinformation and conspiracy theories, including false claims accusing her ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, of being responsible for the children's deaths.
After nearly a week of deliberations, Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial when the jury deadlocked 11 to 1. Eleven jurors voted to acquit Clancy, while one holdout refused to join them. The jury consisted of 9 women and 3 men.
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Clancy's defense attorney requested that the lone juror be removed because a note given to the judge by the jurors said the holdout had doubt but refused to apply it, according to People.
The mistrial invoked a strong reaction from Republican lawmakers, while Democratic lawmakers and leaders - including those from Clancy's state - have remained mum on the high-profile case.
"Out of 12 people, only ONE had the courage to hold a serial killer accountable for her actions," Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, posted on X. "That's not just bravery. That's a hero."
"Holdout juror's going to need security," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X. "Sad."
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called the mistrial a "miscarriage of justice."
"The victims deserved far, far better than a kangaroo court," DeSantis wrote.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has been vocal against Clancy's supporters, who have been gathered outside the courthouse and posted videos showing support online, suggested Clancy would not have this support if she were Black.
"This case is not about the excuses for why she committed murder," Mace posted on X. "This is about justice for the three beautiful souls whose lives were taken after their mother strangled them with her bare hands and workout bands."
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"12 jurors looked at this onesie," Mace continued. "Only ONE stood his ground to defend the children."
But Clancy's defense argued that she was a devoted and loving mother who was desperately seeking to get help, alleging that the cocktail of medications she was on worsened her mental state. Clancy had been prescribed 13 psychiatric medications - more than 30 prescriptions - in the four months leading up to the murders.
Patrick Clancy is suing for wrongful death and medical malpractice against Clancy's providers, Dr. Jennifer Tufts, Rebecca Jollotta, Aster Mental Health and South Shore Health System. Clancy also filed a separate lawsuit alleging negligence, medical malpractice and personal injury.
"Lindsay was struggling. We were all very concerned," Susan Clancy, Clancy's mother-in-law, told jurors. "She was very nurturing, very loving. She was a wonderful mother. Wonderful."
Clancy is due back in court Sept. 29 for a status hearing, trial assignment and a defense Rule 25 motion.
