A murder trial in Massachusetts has fuelled a booming online economy of merchandise, viral videos and wagers, as content creators race to turn fascination with the case into followers and income. At the centre is Lindsay Clancy, a mother charged with murdering her three young children. Her trial this summer drew creators who analysed the evidence, criticised the jury, swooned over her 75-year-old defence lawyer and peddled conspiracy theories about her ex-husband.

Merchandise appeared with remarkable speed, promoted through AI-generated advertisements and Tik Tok’s shopping infrastructure. Polymarket offered users the chance to wager on the outcome. Jessica Maddox of the University of Georgia said social media had created the “perfect storm” for commodification. Clancy says she was in a state of post-partum psychosis when she strangled Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, before a suicide attempt left her paralysed. A judge declared a mistrial earlier this month after the jury was deadlocked.

Creators selling merchandise have zeroed in on defence lawyer Kevin Reddington. Tik Tok user Hippiefromthesippi sold a Reddington T-shirt for $17.99 to her 14,400 followers. Taylor Vaughn Lasley said she was “just yapping on the internet” as her following rose from 75,000 to more than 120,000 and her monthly earnings went from $190 to $4,700. A Go Fund Me campaign raised more than $1.2mn for Clancy’s family.

Thomas E Kadri of the University of Miami said the new factor is the extraordinarily tight feedback loop between attention and money. @themcguidonurse said his follower count rose 38 per cent to more than 140,000 after posting about the Clancy trial; in August, his account made a little over $2,000 and he secured a $1,200 brand deal.