Lindsay Clancy’s attorney said prosecutors did not prove she actually killed her children

The district attorney who’s charged Lindsay Clancy with murder for the death of her three children has not committed to retrying her.

A possible plea agreement has not been ruled out but Clancy’s attorney and the Plymouth County district attorney are tight-lipped about any possible progress on that front.

In the meantime, Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington, in a bid to avoid a second trial, has filed several motions since the case ended in a mistrial earlier this month.

In a hearing Tuesday, Reddington said at trial prosecutors did not prove Clancy killed her three children – Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and 8-month-old Callan in January 2023 – a statement that appeared to contradict statements he made while trying the case.

At trial, Reddington argued that Clancy was in a state of postpartum psychosis when she killed her children and should not be held criminally responsible for their deaths.

Lindsay Clancy holdout juror speaks out

After killing her children, prosecutors allege , she then tried to kill herself, slashing her neck and wrists then jumping from a window.

“Where is the evidence that she did this?” Reddington said while arguing a Rule 25 motion for a required finding of not guilty.

Clancy never actually admitted to the killings, but still there was not a full investigation into the deaths of the Clancy children, Reddington told the court Tuesday. “They just immediately assumed that this woman was guilty.”

When asked later outside court if he’s now asserting that Clancy did not kill her children, Reddington said his arguments weren’t new and he’s questioned the prosecution’s evidence in the case.

“It’s not new rocket science by any means. It’s the fact that they cannot prove probable cause.”

Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger

Massachusetts defense attorney Elyse Hershon told CNN, “Whether or not a lawyer concedes, though, that their client did it as part of the defense, the commonwealth still has to prove it was her.”

Reddington has argued that any trial for Clancy should be bifurcated – one trial to determine her guilt and then, if necessary, a second to determine whether she’s criminally responsible for the alleged murders.

The judge denied that motion earlier this year, which put Reddington in a position to determine strategically how to approach the question of Clancy’s guilt and the idea of her criminal responsibility, Hershon told CNN.

“Could he technically have said she didn’t do it, it’s reasonable doubt, and also, if you think she did it, she’s not criminally responsible. Technically, yes, he could have done that. But strategically, he made the decision to do what he’d have more credibility presenting to the jury, and he went with a stronger defense in his mind,” Hershon said.

Reddington renewed his arguments for a bifurcated trial in court Tuesday when asking the judge to enter a finding of not guilty for Clancy. After court he said if there is a second trial he’ll ask the judge to reconsider splitting it.

Lindsay Clancy’s status hearing concludes, with no retrial date set

A Rule 25 motion in Massachusetts is a defense request to the judge to enter a finding of not guilty because the prosecution’s evidence is legally insufficient for a juror to convict on.

Reddington went through elements of the commonwealth’s trial presentation, knocking evidence as circumstantial.

“When you consider the evidence that the government has, you have the exercise bands, you have the woefully deficient DNA, you have the woefully deficient fingerprinting, you have the horrific, ridiculous investigation,” he said.

Prosecutors’ case against Clancy is based on speculation, Clancy’s attorney said Tuesday. Reddington said any purported admission to killing her children is not admissible under state law because it was never corroborated.

“Where is the admission? Where does she say that she did this? And what’s most chilling is the fact that when she comes out of this obvious coma that she is in – Your Honor heard the testimony from the psychiatrist and from the doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital – She was told what happened. She had no memory of what happened,” Reddington said.

The prosecution’s timeline for the day of the killings in 2023 “does not match,” Reddington also said.

“Even the government, in their own closing, indicated to the jury that she did not have enough time to do this. The timeline is ridiculous.”

Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham said the commonwealth proved Clancy killed her children, calling Reddington’s argument “laughable.”

Surviving postpartum psychosis

A motion for a required finding of not guilty is standard in criminal trials, and they’re typically denied. The bar for granting one is high.

The judge views the trial evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, and the defense must show the court that prosecutors failed to present enough evidence for a reasonable juror to find the prosecution proved every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I would expect that the judge would let this case take its course,” Hershon told CNN, but also said Reddington’s legal arguments don’t come up in your average criminal case.

“We are observing a very high level of lawyering with Kevin Reddington,” Hershon said. “(He) has the experience to know and be creative about seeking remedies or seeking alternatives to being told no that you’re not taught in law school, and you only gain from experience. So, whether you agree with him and what he’s doing or not, it is a level of lawyering that is much more than you would normally see in a courtroom in the state.”

Judge William Sullivan took the arguments under advisement and will rule at a later time either in a written order or from the bench.

Sullivan said he wants to set a trial date at the next hearing, scheduled for November 2. He wanted to schedule the second trial at Tuesday’s hearing, but prosecutors and Reddington agreed it’s premature to set a trial date while several motions are still pending.

Sullivan said he’d hear arguments at the November hearing on issues related to a holdout juror and a defense motion to dismiss the case over double jeopardy.

If they do agree on a retrial date, Reddington said he’s not available for a trial before June because of his caseload.

Both Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz and Clancy’s defense team have declined to speak publicly about any ongoing plea negotiations.

Cruz said he hasn’t made a decision about whether to pursue a second trial.

“We’re working on it,” he told reporters after the hearing.

“We’re doing a very thorough review right now, and we’re going to continue to do our job to make sure that we do what’s best in the interest of justice and the interests of the three children,” Cruz said.

Reddington told reporters, “If there was a discussion of a plea, I wouldn’t say anything about it because it would be private between myself and Mr. Cruz.”

Reddington has publicly said he’s open to a plea agreement , but he wouldn’t confirm whether he’s been asked to meet with prosecutors to negotiate. As to whether a plea agreement is possible, Reddington said, “That’s up to Tim.”

指控林赛·克兰西谋杀其三个孩子的地区检察官尚未承诺重新审理此案。

虽然尚未排除达成认罪协议的可能性，但克兰西的律师和普利茅斯县地方检察官对这方面的任何进展都守口如瓶。

与此同时，克兰西的律师凯文·雷丁顿为了避免第二次审判，自本月初该案因审判无效而告终以来，已经提交了多项动议。

周二的听证会上，雷丁顿表示，在审判中，检方未能证明克兰西在 2023 年 1 月杀害了她的三个孩子——5 岁的科拉、3 岁的道森和 8 个月大的卡兰——这一说法似乎与他在审理此案时所作的陈述相矛盾。

在审判中，雷丁顿辩称，克兰西在杀害孩子时处于产后精神病状态，不应为孩子的死亡承担刑事责任。

持反对意见的陪审员林赛·克兰西发声

检方指控，她在杀害自己的孩子后，试图自杀，割伤了自己的脖子和手腕，然后从窗户跳下。

“有什么证据证明她做了这件事？”雷丁顿在根据规则 25 提出动议，要求裁定被告无罪时说道。

雷丁顿周二在法庭上表示，克兰西从未真正承认杀人，但对克兰西家孩子的死因却没有进行全面调查。“他们只是立即认定这个女人有罪。”

当被问及他现在是否断言克兰西没有杀害她的孩子时，雷丁顿在法庭外表示，他的论点并不新鲜，他一直质疑检方在该案中的证据。

“这并非什么高深莫测的科学。问题在于他们无法证明存在合​​理理由。”

格雷格·德尔/Pool/《爱国者纪事报》

马萨诸塞州辩护律师伊莉丝·赫尔肖恩告诉 CNN：“即便律师在辩护中承认其当事人实施了犯罪行为，联邦政府仍然必须证明犯罪行为确实发生在她身上。”

雷丁顿认为，对克兰西的任何审判都应该分两阶段进行——先进行一次审判以确定她是否有罪，然后，如有必要，再进行第二次审判以确定她是否对所指控的谋杀负有刑事责任。

赫尔肖恩告诉 CNN，法官今年早些时候驳回了该动议，这使得雷丁顿能够从战略上决定如何处理克兰西是否有罪以及她是否应承担刑事责任的问题。

“从技术上讲，他完全可以说她没做，这属于合理怀疑，而且，如果你认为她做了，她也不承担刑事责任。从技术上讲，是的，他可以这么做。但从策略上讲，他决定采取一种在他看来更有说服力的辩护方式，他认为这种方式更有利于向陪审团陈述事实，”赫尔肖恩说道。

周二，雷丁顿在法庭上再次提出分阶段审判的论点，并要求法官裁定克兰西无罪。庭审结束后，他表示，如果进行第二次审判，他将请求法官重新考虑分阶段审判的方案。

林赛·克兰西的案件状态听证会结束，尚未确定重审日期。

根据马萨诸塞州规则第 25 条，辩方可以向法官提出动议，要求法官裁定被告无罪，因为控方提供的证据在法律上不足以让陪审团做出有罪判决。

雷丁顿逐条分析了联邦政府的审判陈述，并指出其中的证据都是间接证据。

他说：“当你考虑到政府掌握的证据，比如运动手环、严重不足的DNA、严重不足的指纹鉴定，以及可怕、荒谬的调查时，你会发现这一点。”

克兰西的律师周二表示，检方对克兰西的指控是基于推测。雷丁顿称，任何所谓的承认杀害子女的供词都不能根据州法律采纳，因为从未得到证实。

“她的供述在哪里？她在哪里承认自己做了这件事？最令人不寒而栗的是，当她从明显的昏迷中醒来时——法官阁下听取了精神科医生和布里格姆妇女医院医生的证词——她被告知了事情经过。但她对发生的事情毫无记忆，”雷丁顿说道。

雷丁顿还表示，检方给出的2023年凶杀案发生日期的时间表“与事实不符”。

“就连政府在结案陈词中也向陪审团表示，她没有足够的时间来完成这件事。时间线简直荒谬。”

检察官沙南·白金汉表示，联邦政府已证明克兰西杀害了自己的孩子，称雷丁顿的论点“可笑”。

产后精神病幸存者

在刑事审判中，要求裁定被告无罪的动议是惯例，但通常会被驳回。批准此类动议的门槛很高。

法官会以对控方最有利的方式看待审判证据，辩方必须向法庭证明，控方未能提供足够的证据，使一名理智的陪审员能够认定控方已在排除合理怀疑的情况下证明了犯罪的每一个要素。

“我预计法官会让这个案子按程序进行，”赫尔肖恩告诉 CNN，但他同时表示，雷丁顿的法律论点在一般的刑事案件中并不常见。

“我们注意到凯文·雷丁顿展现出了非常高水平的律师素养，”赫尔肖恩说道。“他经验丰富，懂得如何创造性地寻求补救措施或替代方案，以应对被拒绝的情况。这些技巧在法学院里是学不到的，只能从实践中学习。所以，无论你是否认同他的观点和做法，他展现出的律师水平都远远高于你在该州法庭上通常能看到的水平。”

威廉·沙利文法官已考虑各方论点，并将于稍后以书面命令或当庭作出裁决。

沙利文表示，他希望在定于 11 月 2 日举行的下次听证会上确定审判日期。他原本希望在周二的听证会上安排第二次审判，但检察官和雷丁顿都认为，在几个动议仍在审理中的情况下，现在确定审判日期还为时过早。

沙利文表示，他将在 11 月的听证会上听取有关一名拒绝配合的陪审员和辩方以双重危险为由要求驳回此案的动议的相关辩论。

雷丁顿表示，如果他们就重审日期达成一致，由于案件积压，他6月之前无法出庭受审。

普利茅斯县地方检察官蒂莫西·克鲁兹和克兰西的辩护团队都拒绝就任何正在进行的认罪协商公开发表评论。

克鲁兹表示，他尚未决定是否进行第二次审判。

“我们正在努力，”他在听证会后告诉记者。

克鲁兹说：“我们目前正在进行非常彻底的审查，我们将继续做好我们的工作，以确保我们所做的一切都符合正义和三个孩子的利益。”

雷丁顿告诉记者：“如果讨论过认罪协议，我不会透露任何信息，因为这是我和克鲁兹先生之间的私事。”

雷丁顿曾公开表示他愿意接受认罪协议，但他拒绝证实是否已被要求与检方会面协商。至于认罪协议是否可行，雷丁顿说：“这取决于蒂姆。”