A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial on September 4 in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the 36-year-old mother who admitted to strangling her three children in Duxbury in 2023. The jury split 11 to 1, and prosecutors have not yet decided whether to retry her. The case has drawn national attention, and now a prominent tech founder has added his own blunt opinion.
The jury's deadlock
Judge William Sullivan called the mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Clancy's lawyer said a single juror stood between her and acquittal, though the court did not confirm which way the other 11 leaned. Clancy admitted to killing her children — the youngest was eight months old — but her defense argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible.
The split verdict leaves the case in limbo. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not said whether he will seek a new trial. Clancy is due back in court on September 29.
Hoskinson's controversial take
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of the Cardano blockchain, weighed in on the case in a video. He said Clancy "should be dead" and questioned whether postpartum psychosis should excuse her actions. Hoskinson also claimed the father was being blamed, but Patrick Clancy has publicly asked people to forgive his wife.
Hoskinson's comments have added a new layer of public debate to an already emotional case. He does not accept postpartum psychosis as a defense and raised questions about personal accountability.
The DA's position
District Attorney Cruz has been firm in his view of the crime. "You strangle three children to death, I don't now how that's anything short then of premeditated malice of forethought first-degree murder," he said. That statement reflects the prosecution's stance, though the jury's near-acquittal suggests at least one juror saw the mental health evidence differently.
The case has been widely covered on national television and social media, with TikTok videos and cable news segments fueling strong opinions on both sides.
What happens next
All eyes are on the September 29 hearing. Cruz will have to decide whether to retry Clancy, and the defense will likely push for a resolution that accounts for her mental state. The single holdout juror's reasoning remains unknown, leaving a key question unanswered: was that juror convinced by the postpartum psychosis argument, or did they simply doubt the prosecution's case?
