Judge Judy Sheindlin says she sees a risk in prosecutors choosing not to retry Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, after her murder trial ended in a mistrial earlier this month.
Asked by TMZ whether Clancy should face a second trial following the jury’s deadlock, Sheindlin said, “I think there’s a danger in that, in not retrying.”
The 83-year-old, best known for hosting the long-running syndicated program “Judge Judy” for 25 seasons, was also pressed on how she viewed the outcome of the trial. Jurors reportedly split 11-1 in favor of finding Clancy not criminally responsible, rather than reaching a unanimous verdict.
“I can’t give you a two minute answer on that,” Sheindlin said when asked to assess the jury’s split.
Pressed further on whether she believed Clancy should have been convicted, Sheindlin was direct about the underlying facts of the case.
“There’s no question, my dear, that she killed her children. The only question is, is there an excuse for it? Make up your own mind on that one.”
Sheindlin also rejected calls from Rep. Nancy Mace for Clancy to be publicly executed, calling the idea “ridiculous.”
Clancy’s defense team has never disputed that the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse strangled her three children with exercise bands in January 2023. Instead, her lawyers argue she should not be held criminally responsible because of mental illness or defect.
Mistrial and What Comes Next
Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial on Sept. 4 after seven days of jury deliberations produced no unanimous verdict. Several jurors later said 11 of the 12 panel members favored finding Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, while a single juror held out for conviction.
Clancy’s longtime defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, signaled immediately after the mistrial that he intends to fight any attempt by prosecutors to try the case again, and the defense has indicated it plans to argue the circumstances of the mistrial should bar a second trial altogether.
In a separate interview with Fox News, Reddington said that if prosecutors were to reduce the top charge to second-degree murder, he would instead pursue a bench trial — a trial decided by a judge rather than a jury — in hopes that Clancy would receive probation.
Clancy remains held at Tewksbury Hospital in Middlesex County and is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 29.
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