The attorney for a Massachusetts woman who killed her three children is facing growing backlash after bizarrely asking President Donald Trump to intervene in the high-profile and massively divisive murder case.
In an interview on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, four days after Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial ended in a mistrial, her attorney Kevin Reddington strangely asked Trump to pardon her.
“I’d like to say perhaps Donald Trump, who felt compelled to speak out about this case, may very well, Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady, the type of person she is, what she’s been through, and consider a pardon,” Reddington told host George Stephanopoulos.
Reporters asked Trump for his opinion on the case Friday, after jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict and the judge declared a mistrial.
He said he was following the case, according to ABC News.
“It’s on television so much, it’s hard not to follow it,” Trump admitted.
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“Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” the president said about Clancy.
“But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be a mental institution or jail or something, but I guess they’re going to go through another trial. It’s too bad,” he added.
It’s unclear whether prosecutors will try her again, though, after a five-week trial and a week of deliberations that ended in a hung jury. Clancy did admit to killing her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson, and baby Callan in 2023 in her suburban Boston home.
But she pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. Her defense presented witnesses and evidence that showed she was in a state of postpartum psychosis and could not be held responsible for killing her children.
She also attempted to kill herself after the murders by throwing herself out of an upstairs window and ended up paralyzed from the waist down.
The prosecution, however, maintains she knew exactly what she was doing and she knew it was wrong. But in Massachusetts, prosecutors must prove that. The defense didn’t have to prove she was insane; instead, prosecutors had to prove she wasn’t.
According to news reports, one male juror held out on a not-guilty verdict during deliberations, forcing the mistrial.
Reddington complained that that juror ignored the judge’s direction on reasonable doubt. If there was reasonable doubt, the jury needed to return a not guilty verdict. Eleven of the twelve jurors agreed there was reasonable doubt on whether she intentionally committed the killings. And they agreed that she was in a state of postpartum psychosis when she did.
Social media quickly responded to Reddington’s pardon request. Many wondered why a lawyer in such a high-profile murder case doesn’t seem to understand a president’s pardon power.
“Presidents can’t pardon state charges. What a weird thing for an allegedly accomplished attorney to ask for,” a Threads user observed.
Another agreed, “He knows President Trump can’t pardon her – he’s just grandstanding. He doesn’t care – he expects to get rich from the book he’s writing. He is shameless.”
“He’s desperate. I read the Bar Association in his state is now investigating him for improper use of client money and misrepresentation. From my understanding, several clients have filed complaints against him over several years,” another stated.
Reddington is facing misconduct allegations after the Massachusetts Bar Counsel filed a formal four-count disciplinary petition against him with the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.
But it’s not related to the Clancy case. It’s related to a former federal case he was part of.
In the meantime, Clancy’s defense and prosecutors are expected back in court on Sept. 29 to decide what happens next.
