NewzThe judge in the Lindsay Clancy case said he was going to declare a mistrial on Friday before giving her defense attorney an hour to appeal. PLYMOUTH, United States (AFP) — A judge declared a mistrial on Friday in the high-profile case of an American woman who killed her three children but put his decision on hold to allow the defence to appeal the decision. Judge William Sullivan said he was freezing his mistrial ruling in the trial of Lindsay Clancy for one hour to allow her lawyer to file an appeal with a higher court.
The jury has been deadlocked 11-1, with the majority apparently leaning towards finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense lawyer has asked for an hour to request emergency stay after jury deadlocked for third timeLindsay Clancy murder trial: live updatesThe judge in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, plans to declare a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and remained deadlocked after a week of deliberations.Jurors in Plymouth state court spent more than 38 hours in deliberations over the charges against the 36-year-old mom, which came on the heels of a weeks-long trial that directed national attention to maternal mental health issues that can occur postpartum. The nearly six-week-long trial revived debates about how postpartum mental health in women is treated in the U.S., and how the legal system addresses cases when mothers kill their children.
Jury returns to tell judge for a third time it cannot reach a verdict in case of Massachusetts woman who killed her childrenJudge set to declare mistrial in Lindsay Clancy case after jury deadlocked third timeWe’re minutes away from getting the judge’s final decision on whether he will go ahead and declare a mistrial, as the hour he gave the defense to file an emergency appeal is almost over.Here’s a quick recap of the trial, which has shocked, saddened and divided the country.Closing arguments ended last Thursday in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who admitted killing her three young children – Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months – in January 2023. Her attempt to kill herself after killing the children left her with spinal injuries that paralyzed her from the waist down. Clancy pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense.
She faced life in prison if convicted. The tragic case has sparked a national conversation about the state of postpartum mental healthcare in the United States.The charges up for consideration were first-degree murder, which involves “deliberate premeditation” or “extreme atrocity or cruelty” and is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole, or second-degree murder, without either of those conditions, punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole. They also considered lesser manslaughter charges, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
If they had found Clancy not guilty, she could have spent the rest of her life in hospital, with the eventual possibility of release at a later time if the court determined she was not a danger to others.Jurors began deliberating last Thursday on whether to accept her insanity defense, but, almost 40 hours on, they have now declared three times that they could not reach a unanimous decision. A jury note indicated that jurors were split 11-1 toward an acquittal but a holdout juror “has acknowledged doubt but refuses to apply it to the verdict”. The prosecution argued this indicated a disagreement among jurors over how to weigh the evidence, while the defense argued the juror had “lied” when they swore to the judge to properly follow the law.
But the judge ultimately declined to question the juror further or have them removed.After the jury declared tod… Lindsay Clancy's high-profile murder trial came to an end Friday when the judge declared a mistrial after the jury reported they were deadlocked. A mistrial will be declared in the criminal case of Lindsay Clancy on Friday after the jury could not agree on a verdict for the Massachusetts woman accused of killing three young children in 2023.The 12-person jury deliberated for a little over six days, twice telling the judge they were deadlocked on a decision and were sent back for further discussions before ultimately stating they couldn't agree on a unanimous verdict.Clancy's defense attorney Kevin Reddington was granted an hour for an emergency appeal.On Thursday, Reddington moved to replace one of the jurors because he claimed they were not following the instructions of the law on "reasonable doubt" based on a note the jury foreperson had sent stating one juror was holding up the case.
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