Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 — President Donald Trump said he will not step into the Lindsay Clancy murder case, telling reporters the prosecution is a “state situation” and that he hopes the parties can resolve it themselves — after defense attorney Kevin Reddington publicly urged presidential attention following the Sept. 4 mistrial.

Speaking before departing Ireland (Shannon Airport remarks reported Sunday/Monday by Boston.com and Boston 25), Trump was asked whether a pardon for Clancy was under consideration. “It’s a very sad situation,” he said. “There is no winner there. There’s 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.”

On Reddington’s request: “I appreciate that he feels that way. And he’s a good attorney. I’ve heard from other people he’s a very good attorney.” Trump added: “I hope they can work it out. That’s something they have to work out.”

Federal pardon power does not reach state charges

Clancy, 36, faces Massachusetts first-degree murder charges in the January 2023 deaths of her three children in Duxbury. A presidential pardon applies to federal offenses; it does not erase a pending state prosecution. Reddington has acknowledged that limit and has said the goal of seeking Trump’s attention was to raise pressure on Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz ahead of any retrial decision, Boston.com reported.

A state-level pardon would fall to Gov. Maura Healey, who said last week she cannot recommend pardoning Clancy without a conviction in place.

Mistrial, Tewksbury, Sept. 29 hearing

Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Sept. 4 after jurors reported they were hopelessly deadlocked (an 11–1 split has been widely reported from juror accounts). Clancy does not deny strangling Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months, but maintains she lacked criminal responsibility due to postpartum psychosis; prosecutors argue she could still tell right from wrong and control her actions.

The Plymouth District Attorney’s Office has not announced whether it will retry Clancy on first-degree murder, reduce or dismiss charges, or pursue a plea. Clancy remains at Tewksbury State Hospital under existing custody conditions. A status hearing is set for Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Plymouth Superior Court, where next steps are expected to be addressed.

Sources