Kevin Reddington, the defence attorney representing Lindsay Clancy, has delivered a striking assessment of how proceedings have unfolded in the high-profile murder trial.
Reddington was characteristically direct when asked about the prospect of a mistrial, stating plainly: “I don’t want a mistrial. Why would I want a mistrial? I kicked the shit out of their case.”
Judge William Sullivan had expressed his intent to declare a mistrial and gave Reddington one hour to seek an emergency stay of that decision.
The jury, which had deliberated for approximately 36.5 hours across six days, told the court it was deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Reddington indicated that the split among jurors stood at 11 to 1, a division he believed favoured his client’s position in the case.
The defence attorney claimed the single holdout juror was preventing the panel from reaching a verdict and was refusing “to listen to the law” based on reasonable doubt.
Reddington objected to the judge’s re-reading of jury instructions and requested further questioning of individual jurors, as well as asking that the holdout juror be removed from the panel.
The deadlocked jury left the courthouse without reaching a verdict and was expected to resume deliberations for a seventh day the following morning.
When reporters asked whether Clancy could emotionally handle the prospect of another trial, Reddington gave a single-word answer: “No.”
He went on to describe his client’s demeanour throughout the proceedings, telling reporters, “She had a flat affect — she’s sad.”
The possibility of a hung jury raises the prospect of a retrial, a scenario the defence team is clearly determined to avoid given the toll the current proceedings have taken on Clancy.
Reddington’s combative public comments reflect both his confidence in the defence case presented at trial and his deep concern about what a fresh set of proceedings would mean for his client.