A jury is deliberating in Lindsay Clancy’s trial as the Massachusetts mother faces three counts of murder in the killings of her children Cora, 5; Dawson3; and Callan, 8 months. The jury in the trial ended deliberations Friday, August 28, without reaching a verdict.
The jury took the weekend off and is returning to court Monday, August 31, for further deliberations.
The 12-person jury is made up of nine women and three men. They deliberated for about 3.5 hours on Thursday and over 6.5 hours on Friday. They will resume deliberations Monday at 9 am ET.
During the deliberations, jurors reviewed the bloody knife Lindsay used in an alleged suicide attempt, as well as prescription pill bottles recovered from her home, NewsNation reported. Potential verdicts include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity.
According to prosecutors, Lindsay, 35, “acted intentionally, rationally and swiftly” when she fatally strangled her three children at their Duxbury home on January 24, 2023. Her defense attorneys, on the other hand, argued that she is not criminally responsible because she was in the midst of a psychotic episode that stemmed from postpartum mental illness.
When will the verdict be reached?
The jury has deliberated for more than 10 hours so far. However, former Judge Ashley Willcott said that it could take much longer for a verdict to be reached.
Willcott told NewsNation that the length of the deliberations did not surprise her.
“They have a hefty question on their plate,” she said on “Morning in America.” “I think they’re just getting into the facts and the details, and I think we’re gonna see them deliberate even longer.”
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Lindsay’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, also said on Friday that deliberations wil take time.
“There are 290-something exhibits, five weeks of testimony,” he said. “It’s obviously a lot of work. They have been very attentive. I don’t know how long it will take them.”
There is no official time limit for a jury to reach a verdict.
Lindsay has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. If convicted of murder, she faces life in prison without parole. In case she is found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.
