The jury in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of killing her three young children, remains deadlocked after six days of deliberation. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued in court Thursday that one juror is refusing to follow Judge William Sullivan’s instructions on reasonable doubt and requested the juror’s removal, a motion the judge denied. The prosecution opposes the request, stating there is no way to know what is occurring within the jury room. Jurors were sent home for the evening after receiving further instructions from the judge, who emphasized that proof beyond a reasonable doubt does not require proof beyond all possible doubt.
The case centers on whether Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was criminally responsible for the deaths of her children, given her mental state at the time. Both the prosecution and defense agree Clancy caused the deaths. The jury has sent multiple notes indicating an impasse, including two notices of deadlock on Tuesday and Wednesday. After receiving a note questioning the standard for reasonable doubt, Judge Sullivan reiterated his instructions to the panel. Reddington argued the judge’s initial instruction was “soft” and insufficient to address the issue of a juror disregarding the law.
Following a private discussion between the judge and attorneys, jurors were briefly sworn in and then taken out of the courtroom before returning to deliberate further. The jury deliberated for approximately another half-hour before being dismissed for the day. Under Massachusetts procedure, Judge Sullivan can send the jury back to deliberate twice after deadlock notices before declaring a mistrial, unless the jurors agree to continue beyond that point. A third deadlock notice could therefore result in a mistrial, and prosecutors would then decide whether to retry the case.
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