No verdict yet in Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Legal expert says sudden interest in case is "unusual."
The jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial continued deliberating in Massachusetts for a third day Monday, but left without a decision as deliberations passed 17 hours.
Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan welcomed the jurors into the courtroom around 9:15 a.m. before sending them back out to continue deliberating. The jury got the case Thursday afternoon. They deliberated several hours Thursday, then for a full day Friday without a decision.
Around 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Sullivan told attorneys that the jury had asked to go home for the evening. They are expected to be back in the courtroom Tuesday around 9 a.m.
Arriving at the courthouse Monday, defense attorney Kevin Reddington was asked how he was feeling heading into the day. "Typical. Nervous," Reddington told reporters.
The jury, made up of nine women and three men, is tasked with deciding if Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her three young children in their Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023, or if she was too mentally ill to understand what she was doing.
Clancy's attorney on deliberations
Reddington was swarmed by an influx of international media as the day wrapped up with no verdict.
"They could be out for a week, they could be out for another day, I don't know," Reddington said Monday afternoon.
He said the longest jurors deliberated in a case he tried was 10 days. "It was a not guilty actually," Reddington said. "You just don't know. It's a lot of stuff to go through. It's five weeks of trial and 300 exhibits. It takes a long time."
Meanwhile the crowd of media and public is growing by the day. WBZ legal analyst Jennifer Roman says the sudden interest in the case is unusual.
"I think what's really interesting about this swarm of people and the increase in interest that we've seen is that it came very late in this case," Roman said. "That's a bit unusual, but I think it just sort of talks to the fact that we really are touching upon so many topics of interest to people and that affect people's everyday lives."
Women share experiences outside court
Women have gathered at the courthouse each day to share their experiences.
"I fell into a really bad depression and I had like suicidal ideations against myself, never my child, but myself, so this kind of hits me a little bit because I feel like I see myself in Lindsay," said Melissa Merrill of Saugus, Massachusetts.
A woman named Hanna flew from Texas to be at court on Monday. "I just know what it's like," Hanna said. "I know what it's like to be getting help and getting prescriptions and just being sent here and there and side effects and all the things, so I understand what happened to Lindsay."
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from 85 witnesses. They are also considering more than 200 pieces of evidence. On Friday, the jury asked a question for the first time. They asked Judge Sullivan if they could see pill bottles and the knife that were in evidence.
"Jurors have a really difficult task in this case," Laura Niemi, a psychologist and jury consultant, told WBZ-TV. "I wouldn't infer anything about the timing. I wouldn't say that a long deliberation indicates they're deadlocked. They have just an incredible amount of information to go through."
Clancy has pleaded not guilty in the case. If convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter, she will go to prison. If jurors find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, she will be required to continue her stay at Tewksbury State Hospital, where her case will be reviewed periodically.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
