A Plymouth Superior Court judge denied a defense motion Thursday that sought to have Lindsay Clancy found not guilty of murdering her three young children.

Judge William F. Sullivan ruled that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, was sufficient for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths. The five-page written order cited both physical and circumstantial evidence placing Clancy alone with the children at the time of the killings, including GPS data and surveillance footage confirming her husband, Patrick Clancy, was out of the home picking up takeout and running an errand at CVS.

Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the January 24, 2023, strangulation deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at the family home in Duxbury. Her first trial ended in a mistrial on September 4 after the jury deadlocked.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued in the renewed motion and at a Tuesday hearing that prosecutors failed to prove Clancy committed the killings and that evidence showed she suffered from a mental disease or defect, specifically postpartum psychosis, that prevented her from appreciating the wrongfulness of her actions or conforming her conduct to the law. Reddington contended no rational jury could find criminal responsibility given the prosecution's own proof of mental illness.

Prosecutors countered that the claim of insufficient evidence was unfounded and that their expert witnesses testified Clancy retained substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of her conduct and conform her actions to the law. They noted the defense did not contest during trial that Clancy committed the acts, and they presented evidence of premeditation and extreme atrocity or cruelty.

Sullivan rejected the defense arguments, stating that conflicting expert testimony on mental health was for a jury to weigh and that mental illness alone does not preclude a finding of criminal responsibility. The ruling keeps the case active as prosecutors consider whether to retry Clancy. A status hearing is set for November 2.