Lindsay Clancy murder trial: Jury enters 3rd day of deliberations without a verdict
The jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial returns Monday for a third day of deliberations, weighing whether she was criminally responsible when she killed her three children.
Judge's penalty instruction could push Lindsay Clancy jury toward 'sentence bargaining': Analyst
A legal analyst says a move by the judge in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial could be influencing how jurors approach their verdict.
Cully Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News that under Massachusetts law, jurors are generally instructed not to consider the maximum possible penalties for the charges they weigh. But he said Judge William Sullivan did the opposite, telling jurors the maximum penalty for each charge.
That, Stimson argued, could lead jurors toward "sentence bargaining", weighing the punishment rather than simply deciding guilt, and possibly toward a compromise verdict such as manslaughter. "The fact that the judge threw this into the punch bowl disturbs me," he said. Stimson also said the jury's request to examine the knife and medications showed they are "digging into the details," and that he expected a verdict "today or tomorrow."
Clancy faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan. She does not dispute killing them but says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Retired Mass. judge says an insanity finding wouldn't be an easy out for Lindsay Clancy
A retired Massachusetts judge is pushing back on a widespread assumption about what would happen if Lindsay Clancy is found not criminally responsible for killing her three children, that a mental hospital would be an easy out.
Retired Superior Court Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital that the reality is more complicated.
If Clancy is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he said, a judge would initially commit her, and then officials at a maximum-security mental health facility would periodically move to recommit her based on whether she is deemed a danger to herself or others. That process could repeat "year after year after year," Lu said, and Clancy would only be released if those officials eventually decided not to seek recommitment.
Lu, speaking frankly, said the professionals who make those decisions, while dedicated, tend to approach cases like Clancy's with "a prosecutorial mindset," making early release unlikely in a major criminal case like this one. "When there's no involvement of the criminal legal system," the assumption that a hospital means an easier path "has possibly some validity," he said. "But when it intersects with a major criminal case, then that preconception is false."
Clancy faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan. She does not dispute killing them but says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Lindsay Clancy jury resumes deliberations for a 3rd day as murder case awaits a verdict
Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial have been sent to resume deliberations, which are now entering its third day.
The jury, which consists of nine women and three men, continue to weigh whether Clancy was criminally responsible when she killed her three children.
The panel of nine women and three men can find Clancy guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter, acquit her, or find her not criminally responsible because she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis, as the defense argues. Prosecutors say she knew right from wrong.
Clancy faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson and Callan. She does not dispute killing them but says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Lindsay Clancy jury to resume deliberations Monday with no verdict after 2 days
Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are set to resume deliberations Monday morning as they enter day 3 without a verdict. The panel of nine women and three men spent 6 hours and 44 minutes deliberating Friday before being dismissed.
Jurors must decide whether Clancy was criminally responsible when she strangled her three children — Cora, Dawson and Callan — or whether she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions. Prosecutors contend she knew right from wrong and acted deliberately. Clancy does not dispute killing them.
On Friday, jurors sent a note asking to see the 2 bags of pills and the knife Clancy used during her suicide attempt. She faces three counts of first-degree murder.
Accused NC killer mom plans insanity defense — as retired judge says more may follow Lindsay Clancy
The insanity defense planned by a North Carolina mother accused of killing her son has drawn parallels to Lindsay Clancy’s trial and raised questions about whether it could become prevalent in criminal cases.
Andrea Faust, 41, is charged with murder and attempted murder in the Feb. 12 death of her 3-year-old son and the attempted murder of her 2-year-old son at their home in Durham, North Carolina.
Her attorneys have filed notice that they intend to rely on defenses of not guilty by reason of insanity and diminished capacity, WRAL reported.
The case is drawing parallels to Clancy’s Massachusetts trial. Retired Massachusetts Superior Judge Jack Lu said he expects similar defenses to be raised more often as the Clancy case draws national attention to postpartum mental-health conditions.
Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility in the 2023 deaths of her three children. Her defense argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors argue she understood her actions and acted deliberately.
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