VERDICT WATCH: Lindsay Clancy jurors sent home for the day following direct questioning, emotional outburst from defense
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Jury deliberations are underway in Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder trial in Massachusetts. The 36-year-old woman is charged with three counts of murder for the strangling deaths of her three children, ages 5, 3, and 8 months old. Clancy is present in a wheelchair after she was paralyzed by injuries she sustained when she jumped from her home’s second-story window in an alleged suicide attempt. Her defense lawyer claims she was insane at the time, suffering from postpartum psychosis, and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions. We are on Day 6 of deliberations and will post important updates from the courtroom here:
UPDATE — 2:15 p.m. MDT
Parties returned to the courtroom shortly after 4 p.m. EDT. Judge Sullivan takes the bench and addresses jurors. He reminds them of their commitment not to discuss the case with others or to educate themselves on it using information outside the evidence. The judge then excuses the jury until tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. EDT.
UPDATE — 1:34 p.m. MDT
Judge: Removing a deliberating juror is a sensitive matter. At this point, I’ve asked if they are able to follow my instructions. That was addressed specifically to the question. Defendant’s objection is noted.
UPDATE — 1:32 p.m. MDT
Reddington: One juror who refuses to listen to the law on reasonable doubt, the sought instruction does not focus on the issue, the question is not sufficient to remove the juror who refuses the instruction. If we’re back here and there’s a mistrial – I request that we have further inquiry. I request to remove this juror who refuses to listen to your instruction on reasonable doubt.
UPDATE — 1:29 p.m. MDT
The jurors study the judge as Judge Sullivan reads the instruction. They are not taking notes. Jury returns to the jury room to resume deliberating.
UPDATE — 1:26 p.m. MDT
Judge to jury: I want to go over a couple of things you are required to follow my instructions. I want to go over the instructions about reasonable doubt. The judge reads the reasonable doubt instruction.
UPDATE — 1:23 p.m. MDT
Parties return to counsel tables, Clancy is wheeled back to her place at defense table by a deputy. Judge remains on the bench.
UPDATE — 1:22 p.m. MDT
A second juror is sworn in at sidebar, questioned briefly and exits, while Clancy looks on. It appears all the deliberating jurors will be sworn in and questioned in the same manner. The judge’s question or questions appear to elicit a shake of the head or a yes response before they exit and return to the jury room.
UPDATE — 1:14 p.m. MDT
The sidebar discussion breaks up and Attorney Reddington approaches defense table and is in a discussion with Lindsay Clancy. Lindsay is wheeled to the sidebar while one of the deliberating jurors joins the group.
UPDATE — 1:10 p.m. MDT
The judge calls attorneys to sidebar. Prosecutors appear “stone-faced,” our Grace Wong reports. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington is “visibly angry.” As Judge William Sullivan hands paperwork to Reddington, Reddington pushes the paperwork back at the judge. Sullivan raises his voice at Reddington, before Reddington throws the papers to the ground.
UPDATE — 12:55 p.m. MDT
The jury is being called back to the courtroom. We’re live-streaming above.
ORIGINAL STORY — 10:12 a.m. MDT
The following was written by CNN’s Eric Levenson, Nicki Brown and Jean Casarez:
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (CNN) — One by one, the 12 deliberating jurors and six alternate jurors in Lindsay Clancy’s trial approached the judge’s bench Wednesday morning.
The clerk swore in each juror, and one at a time they listened to the judge speak, while the prosecution and defense looked on. The judge’s words were not audible to reporters in court – but the jurors shook their head or nodded affirmatively during the brief interactions.
The judge seemed satisfied with the exchanges. Every one of them.
“The Court finds all Jurors are fair and impartial and may remain as Deliberating Jurors and Alternate Jurors,” court records state.
When all was done, the 12 deliberating jurors were sent out again to try to reach a unanimous verdict – a monumental task they have not yet been able to reach after over 30 hours of deliberations. Twice now, the jury has told the court they cannot come to a unanimous verdict on Clancy’s guilt. And twice the jurors were directed by the judge to continue deliberating and try to break the impasse.
This latest time, state Judge William F. Sullivan gave the jury a special, final instruction that asks them to consider the reasonableness of all opinions and to continue deliberating toward a verdict.
The gathered journalists and interested public citizens at the courthouse have become restless, swarming defense attorney Kevin Reddington as he enters and leaves court. One woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly filming jurors, and on Wednesday morning she took to running as she fled the curious crowd after her arraignment.
At the center of it all is Clancy, the former labor and delivery nurse charged with murder in the strangulation of her three children. Now paralyzed from a suicide attempt, the 36-year-old has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder.
Her future hangs in the balance: Will the jury convict her of murder or manslaughter for the killings? Will they consider her mental health issues and find her not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility?
Or will they make no unanimous decision at all?
“This is where it gets into the fourth quarter of the game here,” Dave Aronberg, former state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, told CNN on Wednesday. “If the jury doesn’t come to an agreement, this thing is going to be a mistrial.”
This story was originally published at 6:30 a.m. Thursday and will be updated throughout the day. We are livestreaming in the video player above and will post the latest updates here.
