The judge overseeing the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has instructed the jury to continue deliberations after they reported being deadlocked for a second time. Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan read the "Tuey-Rodriguez" charge, also known as the "Dynamite Charge," encouraging the jurors to persevere in their efforts to reach a consensus.
The jury, comprised of nine women and three men, first informed the judge on Tuesday that they could not reach a unanimous verdict. On Wednesday, they sent out a second note indicating an impasse in determining whether Clancy, a mother accused of strangling her three young children, should be convicted of first-degree murder.
The central issue in the trial is whether Clancy, 36, is criminally responsible for the deaths of her children: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan, on January 24, 2023. The prosecution contends that Clancy meticulously planned and executed the killings. The defense argues that she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, asserting that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and hallucinated a voice instructing her to commit the acts.
Testimony in the trial, which spanned 21 days, concluded after both the prosecution and defense rested their cases. Lindsay Clancy’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, was the first witness to take the stand. He testified that his former wife had repeatedly sought help for her deteriorating mental state in the months leading up to the children's deaths. According to his testimony, she saw a psychiatrist, contacted a suicide hotline twice, spent five days in a mental health institution, and received care from two perinatal clinics, yet her condition continued to worsen. Patrick Clancy also stated that Lindsay Clancy had expressed thoughts of harming the children to him.
According to Patrick Clancy and Lindsay Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, her mental state was further impacted by at least 13 psychiatric medications prescribed by five different providers between November 2022 and the day before the murders. These medications were for conditions including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and psychosis.
Patrick Clancy recounted returning to the family home to find his wife in the backyard with self-inflicted wounds to her wrists and throat, having jumped from a second-story window. He then discovered their three children dead in the basement. His distress was captured in a 911 call played for the jury, in which he can be heard saying, "She killed the kids."
Lindsay Clancy, who appeared in court in a wheelchair due to paralysis from the waist down, became visibly emotional and broke down in tears multiple times during the trial.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.