Picture: Josh Reynolds/AP Picture/Josh Reynolds
On Friday, the choose for Lindsay Clancy’s homicide trial declared a mistrial after practically seven days of jury deliberation. The choice comes after an emotional six-week trial that sparked debate over the state of postpartum care and on-line conspiracy theories about Clancy’s ex-husband.
Clancy, 36, has admitted to strangling her three youngsters, who have been 5 years outdated, 3 years outdated, and eight months outdated, in January 2023 at her residence in Duxbury, Massachusetts. However her legal professionals argued that she can’t be held legally chargeable for the deaths as a result of she was within the throes of postpartum psychosis. Within the months main as much as the tragedy, her attorneys say she had been prescribed greater than a dozen psychiatric drugs that had left her feeling paranoid and suicidal. (Clancy and her ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, have filed medical-malpractice lawsuits in opposition to a number of mental-health suppliers and hospitals.)
The prosecution argued the killings have been premeditated. Attorneys informed the jury that Clancy intentionally despatched Patrick away to choose up meals so she might be alone with the youngsters. When he got here residence, he found Clancy mendacity within the yard, barely aware. She had minimize her wrists and neck earlier than leaping out the second-story window of their home. As soon as the paramedics arrived, he discovered their three youngsters, who had been strangled with train bands, within the basement.
“She was depressed. She was exhausted. She was carried out,” mentioned one of many prosecuting attorneys in closing arguments. “However these youngsters, these youngsters have been her protecting issue. These youngsters have been maintaining her from ending her distress. So she needed to take away the protecting issue.”
In the course of the trial, a whole bunch of ladies confirmed up exterior the Massachusetts courthouse — a lot of them sporting pink — to help Clancy, whose story has change into a cautionary story of how the health-care system fails new moms.
The jury deliberated for greater than 36 hours over the course of six-and-a-half days, repeatedly returning to the courtroom to inform the choose they have been deadlocked. On Friday morning, jurors mentioned in a be aware learn out loud within the courtroom, “It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we report we have been unable to return to a unanimous choice and will be unable to.” Earlier than the mistrial was formally declared, Clancy’s lead legal professional, Kevin Reddington, tried to petition for a keep, insisting {that a} foreman had knowledgeable him one juror wasn’t following the courtroom’s directions about cheap doubt.
Now {that a} mistrial has been declared, specialists have mentioned prosecutors will doubtless push to retry Clancy. The choose has set a listening to for September 29.
“This was and has all the time been about getting justice for these stunning infants,” Plymouth district legal professional Timothy Cruz mentioned exterior the courthouse. “Kids have been murdered and it’s our job to hunt justice.”
Responding to Cruz’s remarks, Reddington mentioned after the mistrial was declared, “My shopper is effectively conscious of the truth that her three youngsters, who she cherished dearly, are the victims on this case.” He criticized the juror he believed was the holdout, saying, “I hope that man can sleep effectively at night time.”
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