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Less than a week after the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial ended with a mistrial, a separate Massachusetts case involving a mother accused of killing her children was back before a judge Thursday. Defense attorneys moved to have the charges thrown out after prosecutors said they were still waiting for key findings from the medical examiner.
In court, prosecutors said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet issued its official ruling on the children’s cause and manner of death. That delay led defense attorney Joseph Krowski to argue that the case against Janette MacAusland should be dismissed, or that she should at least be released on bail, WCVB reported.
The judge rejected both defense requests and ordered MacAusland to remain in custody without bail.
News Media has contacted Krowski and the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office seeking comment.
A mugshot of Janette MacAusland, who is accused of killing her two young children, from April 24, 2026. (Bennington Police Department)
MacAusland, 49, is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of her 7-year-old son, Kai, and 6-year-old daughter, Ella, who were found dead inside the family’s Wellesley home in April after police conducted a welfare check.
While Clancy’s case centered on whether postpartum psychosis rendered her legally insane, no such defense has been announced in MacAusland’s case, which remains in its early stages.
MacAusland was arrested in Bennington, Vermont, after arriving at a relative’s home with what police described as a bloody neck wound.
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Janette MacAusland stands in an orange tank top in front of a scenic mountain range. Photo taken on an unknown date. (Janette Reber/Facebook)
Police said officers in Vermont became concerned about the welfare of MacAusland’s children and contacted authorities in Wellesley, where officers found Kai and Ella dead inside the family’s home.
An arrest affidavit previously obtained by News Media alleges MacAusland confessed to killing the children after arriving at her aunt’s home.
According to the affidavit, MacAusland told her aunt she had wanted “the three of us to go to God together” before later telling police she had strangled the children and attempted to take her own life.
A self-shot photo of Janette MacAusland taken on an unknown date. (Janette Reber/Facebook)
The affidavit alleges MacAusland told officers the children could be found in her bed at the family’s Massachusetts home.
Court records previously reviewed by News Media show MacAusland’s husband filed for divorce months before the killings, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and seeking custody of the couple’s two children.
MacAusland remains jailed without bail as prosecutors await the medical examiner’s findings and the case moves forward.