Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington's dramatic courtroom tactics resurface in Lindsay Clancy murder trial mistrial
The high-profile Massachusetts lawyer known for theatrical courtroom demonstrations and successful insanity defenses is now representing a mother accused of killing her three children.
What happened
Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington, representing Lindsay Clancy, 36, accused of murdering her three children, created courtroom spectacles during the trial including throwing papers and displaying emotional outbursts. On Thursday, he raised his voice and slammed papers after the judge declined to remove a juror; on Friday, he pleaded with the judge not to declare a mistrial after appearing close to acquittal with one juror reportedly not applying the law correctly. The judge initially refused but then granted Reddington a one-hour delay before ultimately declaring a mistrial, and scheduled a date for Reddington to argue again for a not guilty finding.
Context
Reddington's theatrical defense style is longstanding: in 1989, he won freedom for Therese Rogers by successfully employing an insanity defense based on abuse-induced temporary insanity, throwing a pair of ninja stars in court to demonstrate their lethality; in 2007, he prevented indictment of a woman accused of shooting her husband by presenting strong evidence of abuse to a grand jury. His defense of Catherine Greig, girlfriend of mob boss James Whitey Bulger, in 2011 also gained national attention. The Clancy case has drawn global attention due to broadcast courtroom proceedings, and the mistrial means the case will be retried rather than concluded.