WBUR- Jurors reported deadlock for the second time on Wednesday afternoon after 28 hours of deliberating whether Clancy should be convicted of first-degree murder for killing her three children in 2023.
- Judge William Sullivan read the Tuey-Rodriguez (dynamite) charge, urging jurors to keep trying for a verdict.
- The jury will return for a sixth day of deliberations on Thursday.
- The jury, made up of nine women and three men, began deliberating last Thursday and have continued for about 29.5 hours over five days.
- Twice the jury has told the court they cannot reach a unanimous verdict, and twice the judge directed them to continue deliberating.
- The jury has been weighing extensive evidence and hundreds of hours of testimony from the five-week trial.
- Her defense team has argued she should not be held responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and could neither understand nor control her actions.
- If the judge ultimately declares a mistrial, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz would have to decide whether to re-try the case.
Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial have reported a deadlock for the second time after 28 hours of deliberation, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Clancy is guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her three children in 2023.5
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan issued a dynamite charge, urging the jury to continue deliberating. He emphasized, “In order to make a decision more attainable, the law always imposes the burden of proof on one side or the other.” The jury, consisting of nine women and three men, has been deliberating for nearly six days, weighing extensive evidence and hundreds of hours of testimony.24
The prosecution argues that Clancy planned the killings as part of a suicide attempt, while her defense claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, rendering her unable to understand or control her actions. “After many hours of deliberation, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision,” the jury noted in their communication to the court.7
If the jury remains deadlocked, Judge Sullivan may declare a mistrial, which would require Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz to decide on a potential retrial. Legal experts suggest that the case is highly polarizing, with one stating, “The case is so polarizing and so political that the Plymouth County district attorney would retry this case no matter what.”8
“The jury, nine women and three men, has deliberated about 29.5 hours over five days. If they remain deadlocked, the judge may declare a mistrial, and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz would decide whether to retry the case.”
