Explainer-What's next for Lindsay Clancy after mistrial? 

Sept 4 — The trial of a Massachusetts woman who strangled her three children but argues she ​is not guilty by reason of insanity ended on Friday with a deadlocked jury. But defendant Lindsay Clancy is still charged with murder and could face ‌a second trial.

Here is a look at what's next for Clancy, whose televised trial has sparked debate over postpartum mental health ⁠treatment in the U.S. and how the ​country's legal system treats cases where mothers ⁠kill their children.

WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT?

Clancy, 36, is charged with first-degree murder for ‌strangling her three children ‌with exercise bands in 2023 in their home in the Boston suburb of ⁠Duxbury.

Her attorney does not dispute Clancy killed her ⁠children but has argued she was in the midst of a psychotic episode.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, faces life in prison without parole if convicted. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, she could be committed to a state psychiatric hospital.

WHAT IS A MISTRIAL?

A mistrial is when a trial ends without a verdict. ‌But it does not end the case and prosecutors are ​free to start over with a new jury.

Judge William Sullivan in Plymouth, Massachusetts, declared a mistrial in Clancy's case after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict despite multiple instructions by Sullivan to keep trying.

WHAT HAPPENS TO CLANCY NOW?

Clancy has been confined at a state psychiatric hospital before and during trial and would remain in custody through a second trial.

After the mistrial, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz told reporters ​no decision had been made on whether prosecutors will retry the case.

COULD THERE BE A PLEA DEAL?

Yes. ‌Both sides could ‌be motivated ⁠to cut a deal to avoid the expense and uncertainty of a second trial, though it is unclear if the mistrial makes a plea agreement more likely than it was before. An agreement would need court approval.

WOULD A SECOND TRIAL LOOK THE SAME?

Not necessarily, though the ‌facts would remain the same. ​The first trial featured over 80 witnesses and ‌over 300 exhibits, and both ⁠sides could adjust ​their evidence and strategy based on what appeared most persuasive.

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York;Editing by ​Rod Nickel)

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