Trump declines appeal to pardon mother accused of killing three children
September 15, 2026 8:02 am
Lindsay Clancy looks on as jurors (out of frame) enter the courtroom during Clancy’s murder trial at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on September 4, 2026. CREDIT: AFP
US President Donald Trump has said he will not intervene in the case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three young children.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder over the January 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan.
Trump made his position known on Sunday when asked whether he would pardon Clancy, whose lawyer had publicly appealed to him to intervene.
“It’s a very sad situation.
“There is no winner there. There is no win no matter what you do. Three children are dead. So, I don’t know. It’s actually a state situation, you know, not a federal,” Trump said.
Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, had asked Trump last week to pardon his client, while acknowledging that the President does not have the authority to pardon someone convicted of a state offence.
Trump said the case should be resolved at the state level and praised Reddington as a good lawyer.
“He’s a good attorney. I’ve heard from other people he’s a very good attorney.
“I hope they can work it out. That’s something they have to work out … There is no win there,” Trump said.
Clancy’s defence has argued that she suffered from postpartum psychosis, a severe psychiatric condition that can cause a loss of contact with reality after childbirth.
After the deaths of her children, Clancy attempted suicide and suffered injuries that left her paralysed.
Her first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this month after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict following a week of deliberations.
The jury was reportedly split 11-1, with 11 jurors favouring an acquittal on the grounds that Clancy was not criminally responsible for the killings.
Okiki is a journalist with over seven years experience covering politics, foreign news, society, entertainment and the film industry.
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