Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz didn’t mince words Friday, sharply condemning threats made against the prosecution team in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial after a mistrial was declared in the case.
Cruz spoke to reporters following Judge William Sullivan’s ruling, taking a moment to honor the memory of Clancy’s three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, before turning his attention to the vitriol aimed at his prosecutors, Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham.
“I would like to thank our prosecutors, Jen Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, who are both mothers themselves, and went home to their families after each long day in court,” Cruz said. “They embraced the most difficult trial assignment with utmost professionalism and always with the thoughts of Cora, Dawson, and little Callan on their minds.”
Cruz then turned his focus to the disturbing online backlash the legal team has faced throughout the case.
“I’m proud of the work of our victim witness advocates who worked long and hard… they lived and breathed with this case from the very beginning,” Cruz said. “Unfortunately, the way they were vilified and portrayed on social media is disgusting to me. Threats to them and their families, their addresses being posted. It’s unfortunate that in today’s society, potentially people placed at risk who are merely doing their jobs as prosecutors, professional women for the Commonwealth.”
Sullivan declared a mistrial on the seventh day of jury deliberations. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington requested an appeal, resulting in a two-hour delay before proceedings concluded.
Sullivan also took time to thank the jury for their extensive service throughout the difficult trial.
“I watched every day, day after day, week after week, all of you, performing that duty that you braced for, and I just wanted to kind of let you know I understood how hard everybody worked,” Sullivan told jurors. “I just want to thank you so much; you should be proud of what you did.”
Clancy had previously admitted to killing her three children in a separate civil case. Her criminal trial was intended to determine whether she could be held criminally responsible for their deaths, with Clancy facing three counts of murder.
As the case now heads toward an uncertain next chapter, whether through retrial, a civil resolution, or dropped charges, Cruz’s forceful condemnation of the threats against his team underscores just how emotionally charged this case has become for everyone involved.
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