Lindsay Clancy trial: Jury returns for Day 6 of deliberations after second deadlock
PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Jurors in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial returned to Plymouth County Superior Court on Thursday morning for a sixth day of deliberations after telling a judge for the second time that they could not reach a unanimous decision.
Clancy, a Duxbury mother and former labor-and-delivery nurse, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 7-month-old Callan on Jan. 24, 2023. Her trial has centered on her mental state that day: defense attorney Kevin Reddington contends she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis when she strangled the children and tried to take her own life, while prosecutors argue she was criminally responsible for their deaths.
A guilty verdict would carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. If the panel finds Clancy was not criminally responsible, she would be committed to a state mental health facility rather than prison.
The panel of nine women and three men has now deliberated for about 30 hours. The jury first told Judge William Sullivan on Tuesday that it was deadlocked, and he sent it back to continue. On Wednesday afternoon, the jurors sent another note: “After much deliberation, we are still unable to come to a unanimous decision.” Sullivan read them the Tuey-Rodriguez charge, a Massachusetts instruction designed to break deadlocks, and reminded them of their “duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously.” They continued working before Sullivan sent them home for the night and told them to return Thursday.
Inside the courtroom Wednesday, Clancy, wearing a brown sweater over a green top, sat with Reddington and spoke quietly as the jury prepared to resume. Her parents and sister were in their usual seats in the second row. As jurors filed out, Reddington asked if she was all right; she nodded.
The deliberations have unfolded alongside a separate security matter. Dawn Light, 56, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to aggravated intimidation of a juror after police said she tried to photograph jurors from her car in the courthouse parking lot Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors said Light told officers she was waiting for Clancy, and a search of her phone found video of jurors leaving court. They asked for $50,000 bail and protective conditions, saying the alleged conduct put “the sanctity of the judicial system” at risk.
A judge declined to impose cash bail, instead ordering Light to stay away from jurors and witnesses in the Clancy case and not to share any photos or videos on her phone. Light, a retired nurse with no prior criminal record, was released on her own recognizance. Her lawyer called the arrest “a complete misunderstanding.” She is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 15.
Before the jury resumed Wednesday, Sullivan also reminded the courtroom about a standing order and a Massachusetts law prohibiting juror harassment. He then summoned each juror to the bench, swore in each one and asked a question, with lawyers present but out of public earshot.
Legal experts said the case may now be in its endgame. Boston criminal defense attorney Peter Elikann said a judge has limited options once a jury has twice reported a deadlock. “This is really it. This is kind of the final push,” Elikann said. If the panel remains unable to agree, Sullivan could declare a hung jury and a mistrial. Prosecutors could then choose to retry Clancy, drop or modify the charges, or begin plea negotiations.
Channa Lloyd, an ABC News legal contributor, said judges often send a jury back after an initial deadlock and then weigh how long the panel has deliberated and how much evidence it has processed. She said the timing of any new note will matter. “That will be a very telling sign,” Lloyd said.
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