How can that be? She murdered her children. And you're saying the trial was about whether or not she should be punished? I don't think the law reads like that.
Here’s what the judge gave the jury in the instructions:
BRAVE AI:
The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial had five potential verdict options to decide her fate:
First-degree murder: Requires proof of deliberate premeditation or extreme atrocity/cruelty, punishable by life in prison without parole.
Second-degree murder: Requires proof of criminal responsibility but without the specific aggravating factors of first-degree, punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Manslaughter: Requires proof of wanton and reckless conduct resulting in death, punishable by up to 20 years in prison per count.
Not guilty by reason of insanity (lack of criminal responsibility): A finding that a mental disease or defect prevented Clancy from understanding her actions were wrong or controlling her conduct, leading to indefinite psychiatric commitment rather than prison.
Not guilty: An acquittal based on the prosecution failing to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy killed the children, which would result in her immediate release.
Ultimately, the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on any of these five options, resulting in a mistrial declared by Judge William Sullivan on September 4, 2026.