Lindsay Clancy's lawyer knows President Trump can't pardon her. Here's why Kevin Reddington asked.
Lindsay's Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, asked President Trump to pardon his client Tuesday, even though he knows it's not possible. In an interview with WBZ-TV, he explained the strategy behind his request.
Clancy's first-degree murder trial ended in a mistrial Friday due to a hung jury, with an 11-1 split among the jurors, according to a note sent to the judge by the foreperson. Clancy faces three charges of first-degree murder in Massachusetts for the 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months old.
Clancy has admitted to strangling the children with exercise bands but claims she did so in an episode of postpartum psychosis. She had pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect — the Massachusetts's version of an "insanity" defense.
Reddington went on national television Tuesday morning and made his plea to Mr. Trump. There's one problem: the president does not have the power to pardon Clancy because she isn't charged with any federal crimes.
A short time later, Reddington told WBZ's Kristina Rex why he sought out the president.
"The president took note of your case, and on Good Morning America this morning, you asked him for a pardon. But Lindsay's facing state charges, so a presidential pardon isn't an option here. So what's the goal there?" Rex asked.
"The goal is pretty simple. It's to seek help from Trump," Reddington said. "I mean, if President Trump feels that this is a case that warrants that type of intervention from, you know, the executive branch, even though legally it's not a federal case, he certainly has an awful lot of clout."
"I'm sure that, were he hypothetically to reach out to Tim Cruz, you know, they're both Republicans, and I don't know, maybe that will be something that Tim would listen to and consider," Reddington said. "I think any type of help that we can get is helpful."
The decision of whether or not to retry Lindsay Clancy — and on what charges — is entirely up to Tim Cruz, the district attorney for Plymouth County. Cruz is a Republican who has held the district attorney seat since 2001.
The president noted on Friday that he's followed Clancy's case. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said, "It's on television so much, it's hard not to follow it."
"Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can't be worse," the president said. "But you'll find out what the price to pay is. There'll be a price. It's going to be mental institution or jail or something."
A plea deal has been off the table as Clancy faces first-degree murder charges, which mandates a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole upon a conviction, and mandates a trial by jury in Massachusetts.
Cruz has the option to try Clancy on second-degree murder charges instead, which would give Clancy the choice to be tried by a judge or jury.
When asked if he'd consider a plea deal for Clancy, Reddington said, "I would not plead Lindsay Clancy to a day in jail."
"She doesn't deserve jail, because she was sick, and because she doesn't deserve jail," he added. "I couldn't live with myself if she had a day in jail."
The next hearing in Clancy's case is scheduled for Sept. 29.
