Deadlocked jury in case of U.S. mother who killed her kids ends 5th day of deliberations with no verdict

Deadlocked jury in case of U.S. mother who killed her kids ends 5th day of deliberations with no verdict

Lindsay Clancy doesn't deny she strangled her kids, but jury deciding if she was criminally responsible

WARNING: This article contains details about violence against children.

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial went home without a verdict Wednesday following a fifth day of deliberations — and twice saying they can't agree whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children.

The jury will return again on Thursday.

The judge told them to keep deliberating Wednesday when they said for a second straight day that they were at an impasse — a sign there's a growing chance of a hung jury and the trial ending without a resolution.

Clancy, a former labour and delivery nurse, doesn't deny strangling her three children in their home in 2023. But her attorney argues that postpartum psychosis led to her actions. Prosecutors say she knew what she was doing.

Testimony concludes in trial of U.S. mother accused of killing her 3 children

"I know it's been a long day," Judge William Sullivan said, "so at this point, what I'm going to do is, first off thank you for your time and commitment to this case. I'm going to ask you to come back tomorrow morning."

Clancy stared at the jury with no expression when Sullivan earlier in the day explained to the courtroom that the jurors were at a standstill.

Sullivan told the jurors not to abandon their own convictions just to reach a verdict, but urged them to seriously consider opposing views and reassess their positions if appropriate.

No one knows, he said, whether another jury would be "more intelligent, more impartial or more competent to decide it than you are."

Elyse Hershon, a Boston criminal defence attorney and legal analyst, said "the next time they say they are deadlocked or unagreed — that is usually the mistrial call."

Clancy's livestreamed trial has generated intense interest, with reporters and spectators packing the courtroom. The case has also sparked deep public divisions over her culpability and the issues around maternal mental health after childbirth.

What happens if there's a mistrial

Jurors have heard testimony from relatives and doctors about how Clancy's mental health declined in the months before the killings and how her treatment included several medications and a short stay in a psychiatric hospital. Medical experts hired by the prosecution and the defence reached sharply different conclusions about her psychiatric state when she killed the children.

If jurors ultimately can't agree on a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to put Clancy on trial again, drop the charges or try to negotiate a plea deal with her lawyer.

If the jury decides Clancy was criminally responsible for her actions, it could convict her of either murder or manslaughter. If she is acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines that she poses a danger to the public.

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial hears closing arguments

After court ended Tuesday, Clancy's attorney said it was a good sign that the jury kept working.

"The fact that they have not said that they're done is very, very heartening," Kevin Reddington said. "Obviously, they're working very hard."

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