(OPGOV GLOBAL) --- After seven days of deliberation, the Judge in the Lindsay Clancy case officially declared the jury to be deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial.
Massachusetts Judge William F. Sullivan declared a mistrial after the jury could not come to a consensus. This comes after it was revealed that one of the 12 jurors would not change their vote.
"It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to," a note from the jury read to Judge Sullivan said.
Judge Sullivan gave the defense one hour to appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in which they submitted within the allotted time. The MSJC denied the emergency appeal.
Lindsay is on trial for the murder of her three children that occurred in January 2023. Her defense team argued that she had killed her kids during postpartum psychosis, while the prosecution argued that it was a premeditated murder.
Patrick Clancy, Lindsay’s ex-husband and father of the three children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, testified throughout the five-week trial. He claimed that Lindsay’s mental health progressively got worse each month after the birth of their third child.
Photo Credit: Patrick Clancy during his testimony
During Patrick’s testimony, he recalled the events of the January night. At approximately 5:15 p.m., Patrick went to a local CVS to pick up prescriptions for Lindsay, then went to a restaurant to pick up a takeout order.
Patrick returned home at around 6:08 p.m., where he found Lindsay outside, and his three children strangled to death. Lindsay had allegedly attempted suicide by jumping out of her two-story window, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
Lindsay’s trial began on July 20 with 12 jurors and six alternates. After five weeks of testimony, closing arguments were delivered on August 27, and the jury began deliberations.
Photo Credit: Lindsay Clancy during opening statements
The jury had six possible outcomes: not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, guilty of murder in the first-degree, guilty of murder in the second-degree, manslaughter, or ultimately being a hung jury by not coming to a consensus.
On Tuesday, September 1, the jury told Judge Sullivan that they were deadlocked on their decision. Meaning they could not all agree on one conviction. Afterward, Sullivan instructed them to resume deliberating to see if they could reach an agreement.
After the fourth day of deliberation with no final decision, Dawn Light, a 56-year-old retired nurse, was arrested for aggravated intimidation of a witness, jurors and or others. Light was allegedly filming jurors after they were released from deliberation. She pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Early Wednesday morning, Sullivan met with every juror and alternate jurors and questioned them; he found no concerns about their personal decisions regarding the incident.
Later on September 2, the jury came back deadlocked again. Judge Sullivan then formally read them the Tuey-Rodriguez charge, which is a final instruction that asks the jury to consider all opinions and re-examine their views to reach a unanimous decision.
On the sixth day of deliberation, after two deadlocked votes, the jury came back a third time and it was revealed that one of the 12 members of the jury is preventing the group from reaching a unanimous verdict.
Kevin Reddington, Lindsay's defense attorney, claimed that "there's one juror who refuses to listen" to the concept of reasonable doubt. Judge Sullivan then explained what reasonable doubt means to the jurors.
On the seventh day of deliberation, Judge Sullivan denied Reddington's request to remove the single juror who did not agree. Later, the jury came back to the courtroom to announce they cannot come to a unanimous agreement.
Judge Sullivan then said he intends to declare a mistrial, but gave the defense one hour to appeal. Clancy's attorneys then decide to submit a formal emergency filing to the State before the case is declared a mistrial.
After the MSJC decided to deny the request to appeal, Judge Sullivan formally called a mistrial.
The court case has taken the media by storm, creating new movements, like the ‘Pink Lady’ supporters. Hundreds of women have rallied outside the Massachusetts courthouse in support of Lindsay while wearing pink.
Photo Credit: New York Post / The Pink Lady supporters standing outside the courthouse
The trial has sparked conversations about postpartum depression, maternal health and overall mental health.
Timeline:
May 26, 2022: Lindsay gives birth to her third and final child, Callan.
October 2022: Lindsay writes and admits she is terrified something will happen to her children amidst her mental health decline.
January 1, 2023: Lindsay is admitted to McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, for an inpatient program.
Lindsay was being treated by Dr. Alia Goodheart, who considered Lindsay a low-risk patient. She was discharged five days later with prescriptions for anxiety and a sleeping aid.
January 24, 2023: Lindsay strangles her three children to death, then attempts suicide.
Cora, 5, Dawson, 3 and Callan, 8 months old, were killed by their mother after she admitted the medication she was taking gave her “dark thoughts.”
After Lindsay attempted to jump out of a second-story window, she was left paralyzed from the waist down.
February 7, 2023: Lindsay is formally charged with the murder of children and pleads not guilty due to postpartum psychosis.
July 20, 2026: Lindsay’s trial begins in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
August 27, 2026: Closing statements are given, jury deliberations begin.
September 1, 2026: The jury cannot come to a consensus. Judge Sullivan informally tells the jury to go back and try to reach a unanimous verdict.
September 2, 2026: The jury comes back for a second time, saying they cannot all agree on a verdict. The judge read the Tuey-Rodriguez charge.
September 3, 2026: The jury is still deadlocked. Lindsay Clancy’s defense lawyer reveals one person is holding back the verdict.
September 4, 2026: Jury is deadlocked and determine that they will not be able to come to a "unanimous agreement." Judge Sullivan declares a mistrial and gives the defense one hour for an emergency appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
The defense team submits an emergency appeal. MSJC denies the appeal and Judge Sullivan declares a mistrial.
This is an ongoing story; OpGov.News will update as information becomes available.
To add to or correct any information in this report or to share tips or a story, please contact me at alexis.n@lead4earth.org.
0
0
Comments