Jury selection in Lindsay Clancy's Massachusetts murder trial nearly done, opening statements set for Friday

Seventeen of 18 desired jurors have been seated for Lindsay Clancy's Massachusetts murder trial, and opening statements are now scheduled to take place on Friday.

Clancy is accused of killing her three children in 2023 by strangling them with exercise bands inside the family's Duxbury home while her husband was getting takeout food.

Jury selection continued for a third day Wednesday. By the court lunch break, 17 jurors had been seated.

But despite extensive questioning of more than 30 prospective jurors after the Wednesday afternoon break, lawyers ran out of potential jurors to question before they could fill that final seat. So far, 10 women and seven men have been seated.

Around 50 jurors – half the usual amount – are expected to report for jury duty Thursday.

Legal expert on Lindsay Clancy case

As has happened each day, several women were very emotional while being questioned by lawyers and the judge on Wednesday. One woman left the courtroom in tears.

"This case is so emotional," WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman said. "It's as much about the emotion as it is about the legal standard that needs to be applied here. This is going to be very difficult testimony and evidence for the jurors to hear, for, I think, for the public to hear."

WBZ has learned that the juror questionnaire contains specific questions about jurors' mental health, since Clancy is using an insanity defense.

"Have you, a family member or a close friend ever been diagnosed with postpartum depression, depression, generalized anxiety disorder or bipolar disorder?" one question reads.

That "is not a routine question," Roman said.

"And I think it's the kind of question that could really give a juror pause. It's such a personal issue, and I'm not sure that a juror would really want these people knowing that they've had any type of mental health issues, even if minor," Roman said. "I think a more careful question to get at that same issue could have been, 'Do you have experience with mental health issues, postpartum anxiety, depression, that may influence your ability to be an impartial juror today?' It's a little bit more generic, a little bit more benign."

Finishing jury selection is not the final step before opening statements get underway.

Ex-husband scheduled to testify

This week, Patrick Clancy, Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband, filed a motion with the court asking the judge to keep specific evidence private – available only to lawyers and the jury – during the case.

That includes pictures of the children and Patrick's 911 call.

"I think the strategy behind that is, one, trying to claw back as much privacy for his family as he possibly can," Roman said. "Unfortunately, I think it's too late. It's out there. I don't see Judge [William] Sullivan restricting access to that kind of information, which has already been very much made public."

That motion, as well as other outstanding legal issues, will be argued on Thursday after jury selection is completed.

Opening statements will take place on Friday. The prosecution is expected to call Patrick Clancy as its first witness.

"Calling Patrick Clancy as your first witness as the prosecution is really a bold move, and it signals to me that the prosecution is really leaning into these very difficult and emotional facts that they have and just addressing them head-on, right out of the gate," Roman said.