A judge has denied a defense request to remove a holdout juror from the trial of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of murdering her three young children.
Judge William Sullivan instructed the jury of nine women and three men to continue deliberations after the jury foreperson sent a note stating that one juror was refusing to adhere to instructions regarding reasonable doubt. The defense team subsequently asked for this juror to be dismissed, a request the judge denied.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan – on January 24, 2023, at their Massachusetts home. The former labor and delivery nurse does not dispute strangling her children but contends she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and unable to distinguish right from wrong at the time.
The jury has deliberated for approximately 35 hours without reaching a unanimous decision. This marks the third time the panel has indicated an inability to reach a verdict, but it is the first time a note has suggested internal conflict regarding the law.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington reportedly engaged in an animated discussion with the judge and prosecutor Jennifer Sprague in court following the jury's note. Reporters observed exasperated expressions and gestures from Clancy's lawyer. Judge Sullivan individually questioned each juror to ensure they understood the legal standard of reasonable doubt, emphasizing that a conviction requires a unanimous belief beyond that standard that the defendant is guilty.
