Newz(AP) — Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are deliberating for a sixth day in Plymouth, Massachusetts after twice saying they can’t agree whether the former labor and delivery nurse is criminally responsible for killing her three young children.If jurors ultimately cannot agree on a verdict, Judge William Sullivan could declare a mistrial.Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued she killed her children while experiencing postpartum psychosis exacerbated by "lousy medical care.” Prosecutors argued she intentionally planned the killings and said the nation’s health care system was “not on trial.”Postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality. It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions.
Though most people with postpartum psychosis don’t harm their children, mothers with severe cases may try to do so, and may also try to harm themselves.Here’s the latest:Jurors are being brought back into the courtroomThe jurors are entering one by one, and being sworn in. The judge is talking to each juror, but it’s not yet clear what they are talking about. Each one then leaves the courtroom.Now Clancy has joined the sidebar.Reddington held his hands at his side, looking out at the courtroom, and then sighed as he walked over to confer with Clancy before wheeling her up to join the sidebar.
It’s the first such meeting for her in this trial.Reddington puts his hands on Clancy’s shoulder and she turned to talk to him. Now Reddington is speaking to the judge, slicing the air with this hand.Two court officers have also joined the sidebar, which has now stretched past the 10 minute mark.Sidebar discussion between judge and attorneys is animatedThe discussion between the judge and attorneys on both sides is impassioned, with Clancy’s attorney Reddington pointing his finger for emphasis and the judge handing him a document.The sidebar conversations are intended to be private, not done in front of a jury or on a court livestream. The court is playing a white noise machine to help prevent anyone from overhearing the conversation.The discussion has gone on for at least five minutes, making it one of the longer sidebars since the trial…
Many believe she should be punished for what she did, while her sympathizers say a criminal case should never have been filed.Rhonda Gonsalves was at the courthouse on Monday calling for a conviction, in contrast to the many Clancy supporters who have attended the trial. The Plymouth resident wore white in honor of Clancy’s children.“White for innocence. They’re the only innocent ones here, you know, I think anyways,” she said.
“She should be found guilty for what she did to her kids. … She murdered three children.”Trial has changed some minds about ClancyJeanne DeSanto said she first assumed Clancy was a horrible person for killing her kids, but watching the trial online changed her view.“And then, no — it’s women’s health, it’s mental health, it’s systemic. It’s way bigger, and I’ve completely shifted,” she said Thursday, her first day coming to the courthouse.DeSanto said that if a mistrial is declared, she wants to participate in a letter-writing campaign to Massachusetts Gov.
Maura Healey and the district attorney, urging them to stop pursuing the criminal case.“She’s not a danger to anyone other than…
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