The Lindsay Clancy trial ended in a mistrial in September 2026 after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the case involving the deaths of her three young children. The case has sparked strong opinions and heated debate, and with another trial potentially ahead, attention is turning to what prosecutors might do differently the second time around.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes former law enforcement officer, domestic violence expert, and on-air crime analyst Claudia King to discuss the prosecution’s strategy during the first trial and what may need to change if the case returns to court. They talk about how witness sequencing impacts the jury, mental health arguments, accountability, and the evidence surrounding the children’s deaths. Sheryl and Claudia also address the public identification of the lone holdout juror, concerns about jury intimidation, and whether sequestering the jury during a second trial could help protect the integrity of the proceedings.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl introduces Claudia King, former police officer, domestic violence expert, and crime analyst

(4:00) Claudia discusses the possibility of a retrial, pending defense motions, and jury selection challenges

(8:45) Where prosecutors succeeded in closing arguments and why their focus on Lindsay’s suicide attempt may have hurt the case

(11:00) How witness order and testimony can influence a jury●

(14:00) Claudia questions the defense’s claims about Lindsay’s efforts to seek mental health treatment

(17:00) Mental illness, criminal responsibility, and questions about accountability

(20:45) The children’s positions and locations and what they may suggest about the killings

(22:00) The holdout juror faces public backlash after his identity becomes known

(27:15) Jury selection, outside influence, and the case for sequestration

(29:00) Concerns about a defense psychiatric expert’s relationship with Lindsay’s family and potential bias

(31:00) Remembering Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy, the victims at the heart of the case

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Claudia King is a former police officer, domestic violence expert, survivor advocate, and crime

analyst. A domestic violence survivor herself, she uses both her personal and professional

experiences to advocate for victims and offer insight into high-profile criminal cases. She also

hosts the Strong Enough podcast.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High-profile cases don’t stay behind the scenes anymore. Lawyers are hired before investigations are complete, advocates and private experts release their own findings, witnesses speak on podcasts, and online accusations spread long before anyone is charged with a crime.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer to discuss how that shift is changing the criminal justice system and putting new pressure on prosecutors, investigations, witnesses, families, and potential jurors. Using the Nolan Wells investigation as an example, Sheryl and Joshua talk about outside experts, secondary autopsies, media coverage, death threats, doxing, and what can happen when people outside an investigation become involved before law enforcement has finished its work. They also explain how public statements, podcasts, and social media posts can complicate a case and potentially create reasonable doubt if it eventually reaches court.

Highlights:

(0:00) “Crazy town”: the troubling trend in high-profile cases that brings Joshua Schiffer back to Zone7

(1:00) How lawyers, GoFundMe campaigns, protests, and public pressure can begin before an investigation is complete

(6:00) The personal toll of high-profile cases on prosecutors, public defenders, investigators, and their families

(8:30) From theories accusing Lindsay Clancy’s husband to lawsuits against influencers: where true crime interest crosses into harassment and civil liability

(12:15) The Nolan Wells investigation and the outside force already influencing the case before any criminal charges are filed

(14:30) Private reports, outside experts, nonprofits, and public advocacy: when well-meaning help complicates an active investigation

(18:15) Why following police procedures matters when a defense attorney begins challenging an investigation

(20:00) Hiring a lawyer or remaining silent is a constitutional right, not an admission of guilt

(22:15) No blunt force trauma or signs of a fight: what the secondary autopsy does and does not show

(27:30) Death threats, doxing, disputed audio, and why Sheryl and Joshua question the theory of a violent death

(34:30) How podcasts, books, interviews, and social media posts can introduce reasonable doubt before a case ever reaches trial

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

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Joshua Schiffer is an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and longtime Zone 7 contributor. He represents clients in criminal matters and frequently provides legal analysis on high-profile cases, courtroom strategy, constitutional rights, and the realities of the criminal justice system.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother who had been struggling with serious mental health symptoms after the birth of her third child, admitted to strangling her three young children with exercise bands while her husband was out picking up dinner and medication. She then jumped from a second-story window, survived, and was left paralyzed. Her first trial ended in a mistrial, leaving major questions about what happens next.

In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back board-certified forensic pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee to talk through the Lindsay Clancy case and what the medical evidence can help explain. Dr. Priya describes what the children’s injuries can tell us about how they died and why Lindsay’s mental state that night remains one of the central questions in the case. They also discuss the difficult months leading up to it, from Lindsay’s sleepless nights to changing prescriptions and the challenges of coordinating care across multiple providers, and consider what could change if the case goes to trial again.

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl and Dr. Priya address misinformation surrounding the Lindsay Clancy case and the questions following the mistrial

(4:45) Why the repeated ligature strangulation of three children raises difficult medical and psychiatric questions

(7:00) The Clancy children and the significance of different exercise bands being used to strangle each child●

(8:15) Dr. Priya explains how ligature strangulation causes asphyxia, loss of consciousness, and irreversible brain injury

(11:15) Lindsay Clancy’s injuries after jumping from a second-story window and Dr. Priya’s assessment of the suicide attempt

(13:30) Postpartum anxiety, hormonal changes, severe sleep deprivation, and why recovery does not follow a simple timeline

(17:15) Why psychiatric medications can take weeks to work and the complications of starting, stopping, or changing prescriptions

(21:30) How mental illness, multiple providers, telehealth, and incomplete communication can complicate psychiatric care

(23:45) Speculation about Patrick Clancy and what the defense stipulated at trial

(25:45) What prescription drug monitoring programs can and cannot tell doctors about a patient's medication

(29:30) Why another Lindsay Clancy trial could become a battle between psychiatric experts

(33:00) The emotional toll that graphic child-death evidence can place on jurors asked to decide a difficult case

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

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Dr. Priya Banerjee is a board-certified forensic pathologist and former Rhode Island state medical examiner. She previously co-hosted Pathology with Dr. Priya on Zone 7 and uses her forensic experience to help explain complex medical evidence and death investigations.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.