Lindsay Clancy Lawyer's Motion for a Not Guilty Verdict Is Rejected
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
There was something refreshing about Judge William Sullivan saying the quiet part out loud. Mental illness is not a magic wand. That’s essentially what Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer was waving around when he asked for a not guilty verdict weeks after a mistrial.
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It was a Hail Mary attempt, but Kevin Reddington is doing what any attorney would do for his client. Reddington is representing Lindsay Clancy , who killed her three kids in January 2023. It was part of the initial defense, so this turnabout was met with amusement, anger, and confusion.
Luckily, Judge William Sullivan also agreed, adding that mental illness is some magic wand that absolves people of heinous crimes. The motion to find Clancy not guilty weeks after her mistrial was soundly rejected (via Fox News ): PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Judge denies defense motion asking that Lindsay Clancy be found not guilty due to a lack of evidence.
New: Judge Sullivan denied Kevin Reddington's Rule 25 renewed motion for a required finding of not guilty for Lindsay Clancy. Judge issues his ruling in a bifurcated way, addressing the 2 arguments made by defense (and how Reddington originally wanted the trial split). #WBZ pic.twitter.com/2VkUVDLmM8 🚨🚨🚨JUST IN: Judge William Sullivan has denied Lindsay Clancy's motion for a not guilty verdict. @MParonich pic.twitter.com/d4NDqfAQyK Massachusetts Judge William Sullivan has denied Lindsay Clancy's motion for a required finding of not guilty.
Sullivan had denied a similar motion when her mistrial was declared on Sept. 4, and denied a renewed attempt Thursday after defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued earlier this week that Plymouth County prosecutors had failed to introduce enough evidence at trial to prove his client guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. "There was evidence introduced, both physical and circumstantial, that would permit a rational trier of fact to find beyond a reasonable doubt the elements of the charge of murder," Sullivan wrote. "Mental illness alone does not preclude a finding of criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt," Sullivan wrote.
Clancy is due back in court on Nov. 2 for a hearing on her pending double jeopardy motion and Reddington's request for an inquiry into the lone holdout juror who wanted to find her guilty. Clancy should be retried.
There are lines you can’t cross — child killing is one of them. Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media?
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There was something refreshing about Judge William Sullivan saying the quiet part out loud. Mental illness is not a magic wand. That’s essentially what Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer was waving around when he asked for a not guilty verdict weeks after a mistrial. It was a legal stunt, a Hail Mary with zero chance of success, and the judge treated it accordingly. The public reaction ranged from eye-rolls to outrage, and honestly, both are fair.
Kevin Reddington is doing his job. Defense attorneys are supposed to exhaust every avenue, and we can respect the craft without pretending this motion had merit. But the timing and the audacity matter. Clancy admitted to killing her three children. There was a trial, a mistrial, then this sudden motion that even Reddington had to know would land with a thud. It reads less like legal strategy and more like desperation. That’s not a defense of the system; it’s an observation about a courtroom being used for something other than justice.
Mental illness is real. It can explain behavior, and it should affect sentencing and treatment. But it does not erase what happened to those three kids. The judge refused to let a diagnosis become an excuse. And in a culture that rushes to absolve people of responsibility when their feelings or conditions get complicated, that’s worth noticing. The children are the real victims here, not the legal theories being spun in their mother’s name.
Some cases are muddy. This one isn’t. The rejection of Reddington’s motion is a small but important reminder that the law still expects consequences for actions. We can be compassionate about mental health without pretending that a mother who methodically killed her own children gets to walk away on a technicality. Judge Sullivan got that part right. The rest of the country should take note.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.