The judge in the Lindsay Clancy case said he was going to declare a mistrial on Friday before giving her defence attorney an hour to appeal, after jurors said for a third time they could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether the Massachusetts mother was criminally responsible when she strangled her three young children.
uncertain
she → say → children
Judge William Sullivan’s stunning move came after he announced in court that jurors on Friday sent a note for a third time that were unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children in 2023.
asserted
mother → come → 2023
“I’m going to declare a mistrial at this point,” Sullivan said before the defense asked for stay of the declaration.
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defense → go → declaration
The trial has generated intense interest for more than a month, deeply dividing the public and drawing attention to issues around maternal mental health after childbirth.
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trial → generate → childbirth
Clancy’s attorney said she was suffering from a rare condition called postpartum psychosis when she strangled her kids, the youngest just 8 months old, then tried to take her own life.
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she → say → life
Prosecutors said Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, knew what she was doing.
asserted
she → say → what
The deadlocked jury started a seventh day of deliberations Friday hot on the heels of another dramatic day on Thursday that saw the jury’s foreperson tell the judge a single juror wouldn’t follow the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt.
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juror → start → doubt
The extraordinary disclosure made in the form of a note delivered to the judge offered the clearest glimpse yet of what may be keeping jurors from reaching a verdict.
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what → make → verdict
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The jury has twice told Sullivan that it was unable to agree on a verdict.
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it → get → verdict
On Thursday, Sullivan brought in each juror individually and questioned them in private.
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Sullivan → bring → them
The judge then reread his instructions, telling them proof beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean proof beyond all possible doubt.
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proof → reread → doubt
He reminded jurors that the burden of proof is on the prosecution before sending them back to continue deliberating.
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burden → remind → them
Judge won’t question the juror again over reasonable doubt
The jury went back to work Friday, but only after the judge rejected a request from Clancy’s lawyer to again individually question the juror who was the subject of the note about reasonable doubt instructions.
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who → question → instructions
“Reading that note carefully and strictly,” Sullivan said, “that note does not indicate this is a person who refuses to follow the law.”
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who → read → law
Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, on Thursday asked Sullivan to dismiss the juror from the case, arguing the person had refused to follow the judge’s instructions.
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person → ask → instructions
Prosecutors objected, and Sullivan declined to remove the juror.
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Sullivan → object → juror
“I don’t feel it is proper for me to side with one side or the other of the deliberations,” the judge said Thursday.
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judge → feel → deliberations
“I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to say, ‘I agree with one juror or the 11.’
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I → feel → juror
I have asked if they are able to follow my instructions.
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they → ask → instructions
They swore earlier that they could.”
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they → swear → ?
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you → charge → Wainwright
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home → hit → fiancée
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vehicle → charge → Regina
For the first time during the trial, Clancy was brought to join a sidebar conversation with the judge and lawyers.
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Clancy → bring → judge
Paralyzed from the waist down after her suicide attempt, Clancy uses a wheelchair, which Reddington pushed to the front of the courtroom.
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Reddington → paralyze → courtroom
“She has a right to know what’s going on,” he later told reporters.
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he → have → reporters
Lindsay Clancy has never denied killing her children
Clancy doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home before using multiple methods to try to end her life.
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Clancy → deny → life
According to her defence, she had bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis that, ultimately, led her to believe she heard a voice telling her to kill the children so she could kill herself.
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she → accord → herself
Postpartum psychosis is more serious and less common than postpartum depression, afflicting 1 to 2 out of 1,000 women after delivery, according to estimates by researchers.
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psychosis → afflict → researchers
The prosecution argues Clancy deliberately sent her then-husband on errands to get him out of the house, and prosecutors have questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt.
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prosecutors → argue → attempt
A hung jury would result in a mistrial
If the jury ultimately can’t agree on a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial.
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judge → hang → mistrial
Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to put Clancy on trial again, drop the charges or try to negotiate a plea deal with her lawyer.
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Prosecutors → have → lawyer
If the jury decides Clancy was criminally responsible for her actions, it could convict her of either murder or manslaughter.
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it → decide → murder
If she is acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines that she poses a danger to the public.
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she → acquit → public
