Sometimes the most important verdict is the one a jury cannot reach. After weeks of testimony and nearly 40 hours of deliberations, the jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial could not unanimously decide whether she should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children. The result is a mistrial — and an extraordinarily difficult question about what happens next.

The easy answer is another trial. The harder question is whether that is necessarily justice. A mistrial in a case of this magnitude carries costs that extend far beyond dollars. Prosecutors have devoted enormous resources to preparing and presenting the case. Defense attorneys have done the same. Experts have testified, medical records have been dissected, witnesses have taken the stand and court personnel have spent weeks managing a proceeding watched across the country.

Now imagine doing it all again. A new jury — with knowledge of the case — must be selected. Experts must return. Witnesses must again recount painful events. Attorneys must reconstruct arguments that have already consumed weeks of courtroom time. And a family that has endured an unimaginable tragedy must once again watch the deaths of three children become the subject of testimony, argument and public debate.

None of that means prosecutors should abandon the case. Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy died violently. Their lives matter. The public has a legitimate interest in accountability, and the Commonwealth has an obligation to enforce its........

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