Jurors in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman who killed her three children in 2023, told the judge Wednesday for the second day in a row that they have been unable to come to a unanimous decision.
After being instructed by Judge William Sullivan to continue deliberating, the jury was dismissed Wednesday afternoon and is scheduled to begin its sixth day of deliberations Thursday.
Earlier Wednesday, Sullivan read jurors the Massachusetts version of a dynamite charge, called Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, that tell jurors to return to deliberations, consider the opinions of the jurors they do not agree with, and return a verdict if they can do so in good conscience.
“It is your duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously,” the instructions state.
Sullivan did not read jurors the dynamite charge Tuesday, instead nudging them verbally to return to deliberations and try to reach a consensus.
The jurors are in their fifth day of deliberations, which began Thursday.
“I know that this was a long trial,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “I know there were over 80 witnesses, over 300 exhibits, but because of that, I’m going to ask you to go back out — keeping in mind all the instructions that I gave you — to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time.”
If the jurors come back deadlocked again, Sullivan can read them the Tuey-Rodriguez instructions one more time. If the jury is not able to reach consensus, the judge may declare a mistrial, leaving open the likelihood of the case being tried all over again.
Clancy, 36, has admitted to killing her children by strangulation. Her case focuses on her mental state on the day of the killings and her attempted suicide.
Her lawyers argued during trial that Clancy was suffering from a postpartum-induced psychosis during the killings, and therefore she should not be held legally responsible for the crimes.
The prosecution acknowledged she suffered from mental health issues, but they argued her actions were calculated and deliberate, not the result of psychosis.
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