The jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial was sent home Wednesday without reaching a unanimous verdict after reporting a second time that it was deadlocked. Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan delivered a Tuey-Rodriguez charge, an instruction designed to encourage jurors to continue deliberating while reminding them not to abandon sincerely held beliefs.
Deliberations are scheduled to resume Thursday. The development brings the case a step closer to a potential mistrial if the jury remains unable to reach a consensus.
The Tuey-Rodriguez charge, named after Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decisions, is typically the final procedural step before a judge may declare a mistrial. Retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Thomas Drechsler has noted that while the instruction often encourages jurors to re-evaluate their positions, a continued deadlock after its delivery significantly increases the likelihood of a mistrial.
Clancy is accused of killing her three children—Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan—on Jan. 24, 2023, in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. The defense does not dispute that Clancy caused the children's deaths but argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should be found not criminally responsible. Prosecutors contend the killings were premeditated and that Clancy understood right from wrong, having concealed disturbing thoughts from medical providers.
Outside the courtroom on Wednesday, Dawn Light, who was accused of filming jurors as they left the courthouse Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to a witness intimidation-related charge. Prosecutors stated that a video from her cellphone showed jurors departing the courthouse. Light maintained she was attempting to see Clancy and did not realize she had recorded jurors. A judge released Light on personal recognizance, ordering her to stay away from the courthouse and refrain from contact with jurors or witnesses.
Earlier in the day, Sullivan reminded those present in the courtroom that orders protecting jurors and other participants were being enforced, without specifically referencing Light's arrest.