The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of killing her three young children, has entered its fifth day of jury deliberations without a unanimous verdict. Outside the Plymouth District Court on Tuesday, a woman was arrested for allegedly filming jurors, further complicating the proceedings.
Dawn Light, 56, was taken into custody and charged with intimidation of a witness, jurors, or person furnishing information in connection with criminal proceedings, according to the Massachusetts State Police. The arrest occurred approximately 10 minutes after the jury was excused for the day, as deliberations continued to be at a stalemate.
Clancy is on trial for the January 2023 murders of her children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, eight months, who were found strangled with exercise bands at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. The jury, composed of nine women and three men, informed Judge William Sullivan on Tuesday morning that they were deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous decision. The judge instructed them to continue deliberating.
If the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, Judge Sullivan will eventually be compelled to declare a mistrial. The jurors have not been sequestered during their deliberations.
Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, has criticized District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz for pursuing first-degree murder charges. "You should ask Mr Cruz why he did not reduce the charges to second degree so that the matter could be waived by a jury and tried by a judge," Reddington told reporters outside the court. He added that in Massachusetts, first-degree murder cases requiring a jury waiver must be tried by a jury, and the district attorney controls these decisions. When questioned about the possibility of a plea deal, Reddington stated, "Ask Mr Cruz if he'd offer one. It's the only thing I can tell you because I have no control over it."