US President Donald Trump has declined a request to pardon Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three young children.
Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the January 2023 deaths of Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan.
Her first trial ended in a mistrial on September 4 after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury was reportedly split 11-1, with 11 jurors favoring an acquittal based on a finding that Clancy was not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, later appealed to Trump for a pardon, citing his client’s alleged postpartum psychosis. However, Trump said the case was a state matter and expressed hope that it could be resolved at that level.
“It’s a very sad situation. There is no winner,” Trump said, noting that three children had died.
Clancy’s defence argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis when she killed the children and later attempted suicide, leaving her paralyzed. Prosecutors, however, argued that she was criminally responsible for the killings.
Trump does not have constitutional authority to pardon convictions under Massachusetts state law. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to retry Clancy, who is due back in court on September 29.
