A week after Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, WBUR’s Deborah Becker reflects on the reaction online and in real life — inside as well as outside the courtroom.
From TikTok influencers to international media outlets, the trial drew unprecedented crowds to the Plymouth courthouse.
The attention on the Clancy trial is drawing attention to new mothers’ mental health. But it has also sparked a national debate on gender, accountability, and women’s mental health. Throughout the trial, we saw the darker side of social media virality and algorithmic bias, giving rise to multiple conspiracy theories online, especially about Lindsay Clancy’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy.
Without a conviction, there’s little closure for the Clancy family or the hordes of court watchers. Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz will need to decide what charges to bring for a retrial.
This episode was reported and voiced by Deborah Becker. It was produced by Ben Brock Johnson, Amy Gorel, Samata Joshi and edited by Dave Shaw, with additional editorial guidance from Elisabeth Harrison. It was sound designed by Paul Vaitkus.
