The lawyer who helped Andrea Yates avoid a murder conviction after she drowned her five children in 2001 is now sharing his thoughts on the mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s case — and his take might surprise you.
George Parnham, now 85, was the lead defense attorney for Yates, who was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity. He told The Post that a mistrial can actually work in Clancy’s favor.
“Give me a hung jury and a mistrial every day of the week,” Parnham said.
The mistrial was declared Friday after jurors spent nearly 40 hours deliberating but couldn’t reach a unanimous decision. Reports indicate 11 jurors voted for acquittal, with just one holdout.
Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, called the outcome a “real shame,” saying he felt he had dismantled the prosecution’s case. Parnham understands that frustration but believes the deadlock gives the defense a strategic edge.
Having gone through a full trial, Reddington now knows the prosecution’s playbook. He can use court transcripts to check witness testimony for any inconsistencies — and if stories change, that could be grounds to disqualify testimony.
Still, Parnham expects the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Reddington to reach an agreement rather than head to a retrial. He doesn’t think prosecutors want to take that risk.
“I think in all probability, the resolution, if it happens, will not be a not guilty by reason of insanity acquittal,” Parnham said.
He predicts Clancy could be convicted on lesser charges and serve a short prison sentence — even though he believes she should have been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Parnham pointed to Yates’ case as a parallel. Yates was initially convicted in 2002, but that verdict was overturned after a forensic psychiatrist gave false testimony. A second jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006.
She remains at a state hospital for treatment.
“We came back, retried it and they acquitted her,” he said.
Both cases share haunting similarities. Clancy, 36, allegedly strangled her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — while suffering from postpartum psychosis, according to her defense. Yates was 37 when she drowned her five kids in a bathtub.
Neither mother had any ulterior motives like money or revenge, Parnham noted.
“You eliminate all the possibilities of ulterior motives and you end up with the undeniable fact that mental illness is the reason these situations occurred,” he said.
Parnham, who still visits Yates every two months, says she’s making progress. She sometimes asks him to place flowers at her children’s graves.
“I love her like a daughter,” he said.
Clancy’s case is far from over. She’s due back in court on Sept. 29.
What happens next could reshape how the justice system handles mothers accused of killing their children while battling severe mental illness.
