Lindsay Clancy murder trial elevates "forensic fandom" phenomenon: "They want to be participants"

The Lindsay Clancy trial in Massachusetts has captured the attention of people across the world. Some of them believe they can solve the case in a phenomenon called "forensic fandom."

A jury of nine women and three men is officially deciding Clancy's fate in deliberations at Plymouth Superior Court. But outside of court, others are drawing their own conclusions after 21 days of livestreamed testimony.

Boston University media science professor Kathryn Coduto, who researches true crime and social media, has been looking into "forensic fandom." She said the circumstances of the Clancy case make it particularly compelling.

"It's not just that a woman did something, but she killed her kids. And so I think that has really drawn people in because it's very uncomfortable," Coduto told CBS News Boston.

Coduto said true crime already has an enormous audience, but the Clancy story is different because a mother is at the center of the case, leaving many people trying to make sense of what happened. On social media, they post reactions, commentary, theories and even what some claim is new evidence.

Coduto said "forensic fandom" was originally seen with fictional TV shows like "Lost," but she said it's carried over into true crime.

"'Forensic fandom' in a true crime sense, people are now not just trying to figure out what's happening in a fictional program; they think that they can put pieces together in real life," Coduto said.

"In my own research, I have asked people why they follow true crime stories, what they get from it? And what they often say is that they want to be participants. They feel like they might be able to find clues that other people have missed, or they want to help find justice maybe that they feel like hasn't been brought yet."

Coduto said "forensic fandom" content can make it difficult for people to distinguish what's real from speculation. She said social media algorithms can further amplify content in a high-profile case, regardless of whether that content is accurate.

The Lindsay Clancy case presents another complication for online sleuths: it is not a "whodunit." Jurors are instead being asked to determine Lindsay Clancy's mental state when she strangled her three children in January 2023. Coduto said some conspiracy theories circulating treat the case as though someone else could be responsible, even though that's not what was argued in court.

"People want an alternative explanation. They want there to be a cleaner, neater way for this to have happened, and ultimately that's just not going to happen because no matter how you put the story together, there are three children who are dead," Coduto said.

Despite the enormous amount of content surrounding the trial, the jurors deciding Clancy's fate are sworn to not watch or read coverage of the case. Their decision must instead be based solely on the evidence and testimony presented in court.