- The Lindsay Clancy murder trial teeters on mistrial as deadlock persisted on the sixth day of deliberations, and a question raised by the jury on Thursday prompted the defense to call for one of the jurors to be dismissed.
- Defense attorney Kevin Reddington alleged that one juror refuses to listen to the law on reasonable doubt and moved to remove the juror, but prosecutor Jennifer Sprague clarified that there was no way to determine what the deliberations are and felt the judge’s actions were appropriate.
- Judge Sullivan repeated his instructions on the definition of reasonable doubt, stating: “A charge is proved beyond a doubt if, after you’ve compared and considered all of the evidence, you have in your minds an abiding conviction to a moral certainty that the charge is true.”
- Judge Sullivan declined to remove a juror, stating: “I don’t feel that it is proper for me to side with one side or the other of the deliberations. I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to say I agree with one juror or the 11.”
- The jury was dismissed for the day shortly after 4 p.m. following about 30 more minutes of deliberations.
- Sullivan can only send the jury back to deliberate twice before he is able to declare a mistrial, unless the jury consents to more days of deliberations. After the second deadlock note, the judge gave jurors Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, which essentially requests them to give deliberations one last chance and tells them that it’s “desirable” they reach a verdict.
- If a mistrial is declared, Reddington has said he is ready to go for a second trial, possibly as early as next week.
The Lindsay Clancy murder trial is on the brink of a mistrial as jurors have been deadlocked for six days. After the jury indicated they could not reach a unanimous decision, Judge William Sullivan reiterated the definition of reasonable doubt, emphasizing its importance in the deliberation process.145
The jury, consisting of nine women and three men, informed the court of their inability to agree on Clancy's fate after nearly five days of discussions. Sullivan did not disclose the contents of the jury's note but highlighted the necessity of a moral certainty in proving charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has called for the removal of a juror, claiming that this individual is not adhering to the legal standards set forth by the judge. Reddington criticized Sullivan's instructions as23
“Judge Sullivan declined to remove the juror, saying he cannot side with one side or the other, and noted each juror individually confirmed they could follow his instructions. If a third deadlock note arrives, Sullivan will likely declare a mistrial, with defense attorney Kevin Reddington ready for a retrial as early as next week.”
