Here's the latest
• No verdict yet: The fifth day of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial has begun today after jurors went home yesterday without reaching a verdict. The jury on Tuesday told the judge they were deadlocked, and he sent them back to keep deliberating.
• About the case: The Massachusetts mother is accused of murder after strangling her three young children in 2023. Prosecutors have argued Clancy acted “intentionally, rationally, and swiftly” to kill her children, while the defense has argued she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
• Outside the courthouse: A woman was arrested yesterday after prosecutors said she filmed jurors as they exited the courthouse. She pleaded not guilty today to one count of aggravated intimidation of a witness, jurors, and others.
Scenes from the courthouse as jurors decide Clancy’s fate
With jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial reporting a standstill Tuesday morning, suspense is building as swarms of journalists, true crime fanatics and outspoken spectators – and millions of people online and at home – await the conclusion of a heartbreaking case that has captivated the nation.
Over the last six weeks, Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder trial has transformed the lofty courthouse flanked by fields and farmland into a scene of chaos, criticism and passionate support.
In late August, dozens of women wearing pink rallied to show support for Clancy and raise awareness about postpartum mental health, the central pillar of Clancy’s defense.
The crowd of spectators has decreased in the days since, but the line to get a seat in the gallery has snaked through the building’s courtyard on the most significant days of the trial.
Inside the jury, comprised of nine women and three men, has spent just over 23 hours deliberating whether to convict the 36-year-old of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter – or to find her not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility or acquit her altogether.
The wait continues Wednesday. Read more here.
Woman accused of filming Clancy jurors leaving court pleads not guilty
A 56-year-old Massachusetts woman was arrested after prosecutors said she filmed jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial Tuesday afternoon as they exited the courthouse on the fourth day of deliberations.
Dawn Light, a retired registered nurse, was arraigned Wednesday morning – as jury deliberations resumed – on one count of aggravated intimidation of a witness, jurors, and others for allegedly filming the jurors in violation of a court order. She pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Nicole Piacentini told the judge Light was in a restricted area of the parking lot behind the courthouse and filmed jurors leaving court. When police officers approached her, Light denied having taken any photos or videos, the prosecutor said. With her permission, officers searched Light’s phone and found in the deleted photos a video of individuals who they confirmed were jurors on the Clancy case, Piacentini said.
“The sanctity of the judicial system is at risk because of her actions. It’s an extremely serious matter for the commonwealth and the integrity of the proceedings,” the prosecutor told the judge.
Jurors are in their fifth day of deliberations to determine whether Clancy is guilty of murdering her three young children. Clancy’s lawyers have argued she is not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility as she was in a postpartum psychosis.
The judge released Light without a cash bail and ordered her to stay away from the courthouse and make no contact with jurors on the Clancy case. The judge also prohibited Light from releasing any photos or videos she took of the jurors. She is due back in court on October 15.
A court-appointed attorney for Light called it a “complete misunderstanding.”
“My client was seeking a picture of Ms. Clancy and had no intention of any interaction with the jurors,” attorney Jennifer White told the judge.
Woman arrested outside courthouse Tuesday, expected to be charged with intimidation
A woman was arrested on Tuesday, outside the Plymouth District Courthouse where the Lindsay Clancy trial is taking place. She is expected to be charged with intimidation, according to police.
Fifty-six-year-old Dawn Light is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on one charge of intimidation of a witness, jurors, or person furnishing information in connection with criminal proceedings, Massachusetts State Police told CNN.
The arrest took place around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
The judge in Clancy’s trial addressed the courtroom without the jury present Wednesday morning, reminding everyone about the orders protecting jurors, witnesses and attorneys in the case. He then called each juror up to the bench to speak with them individually.
Jury begins 5th day of deliberations
The jury in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial resumed deliberations for a fifth day on Wednesday morning.
The 12-person jury was sent to deliberate at 9:30 a.m. ET. The group has deliberated for about 23 hours so far.
Judge speaks to jurors and delivers reminder of courthouse rules
Judge William F. Sullivan opened court Wednesday by speaking to all 18 jurors individually and reminding everyone about the order protecting jurors, witnesses and attorneys in the case, following an arrest of a woman outside court a day earlier.
“I just want to remind everybody here and elsewhere that there’s been an order that’s been issued in regards to the conducting of this case, as well as statutes in this Commonwealth which relate to jurors, witnesses, attorneys and others with regards to this proceeding,” Sullivan said.
“And everybody should be well aware that, that order and that statute is being enforced and will be enforced.”
The 12 deliberating jurors and the six alternates then came to the bench one-by-one to speak to the judge and the attorneys in the case. CNN’s reporters in court could not hear any discussion.
The reminder came a day after a 56-year-old woman was arrested outside the courthouse on one count of intimidation of a witness, jurors, or person furnishing information in connection with criminal proceedings, according to a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson.
Court is in session Wednesday
In Plymouth, Massachusetts, court is in session, marking the fifth day of deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial.
The jury could consider first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter charges in the trial of the Massachusetts mother accused of murder after strangling her three young children in 2023.
Defense attorney says Clancy not emotionally prepared for potential retrial
In comments after court Tuesday, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington said she is not emotionally prepared for a potential retrial.
“If you have to retry this, do you think your client is emotionally prepared to do it again?” a reporter asked.
“No,” he said.
Reddington also said he was not sure the meaning of the jury’s note that they cannot come to a unanimous decision.
“I don’t know that it’s a good sign or a bad sign or any sign. They’re working hard to come to a decision,” he said.
On Clancy: Several witnesses and Reddington have previously said Clancy has a “flat affect” and expresses little emotion either way. “She doesn’t have a mindset,” Reddington said last week. “She just listens and sits there and I try to let her know what’s going on, but she has a very flat affect.”
Jurors ended another day without a verdict on Tuesday. Catch up here
Jurors finished yet another day of deliberations in the trial of Lindsay Clancy without reaching a verdict.
Here’s what happened yesterday:
- Deadlocked jury: The jury — which is made up of nine women and three men — indicated yesterday that it is deadlocked and cannot reach a unanimous verdict, a scenario that could lead to a mistrial. They deliberated for about 6 hours on Tuesday, pushing the total deliberation time to about 23 hours over four days.
- More deliberations: Earlier Tuesday, Judge William Sullivan sent the 12-person jury back to deliberate further in an effort to break the impasse. The panel has been tasked with sifting through more than 80 witnesses and 300 exhibits, the judge said.
- The energy in the courtroom: The jurors all appeared solemn and straight-faced when they entered the courtroom yesterday. Though the jurors generally have been responsive to the judge, they did not visibly react as he told them to keep deliberating.
- Jury asks to leave early: There were a few gasps in the courtroom gallery as the judge read the jury’s note aloud: They couldn’t come to a unanimous decision. The jury then later said they wanted to go home early in the afternoon, perhaps showing the toll the deliberations are taking.
- Some context on what’s next: When a jury says it cannot come to a unanimous verdict, the trial does not immediately end, criminal defense attorney Elyse Hershon explained. Instead, the judge will send jurors back to deliberate — potentially multiple times — and encourage them to continue deliberating toward a unanimous verdict. If the jury continues to report that it is deadlocked, the judge will read special instructions, known as a “dynamite charge,” giving the jury a final chance to reach a verdict. If the jurors still cannot do so, the judge will declare a mistrial, ending the trial without a resolution and leaving open the possibility of another trial.
- If there is a mistrial: After a mistrial, one of the parties could make a strategic request to move the case to another jurisdiction in the state, arguing that they can’t get a fair trial in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred. Prosecutors could also decline to try the case a second time.
- Coming up: The jury will return today to continue deliberations.
CNN’s Nicki Brown, Eric Levenson, Lauren del Valle, Chelsea Bailey and Rebekah Riess contributed reporting.
A timeline of jury deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial so far
Here’s a timeline of how jury deliberations have gone so far in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial:
Thursday, August 27: The 12-person jury begins deliberations at about midday and deliberates for about 3.5 hours.
Friday, August 28: The jury asks the court to see the prescription pill bottles and the knife, key physical evidence in the case. The jury deliberates for just under 7 hours before leaving for the weekend.
Monday, August 31: The jury deliberates for about 7 more hours.
Tuesday, September 1: The jury sends a note to the court saying they “are unable to come to a unanimous decision.” The judge instructs the jury to go back and deliberate further. The jury deliberates for about 6 hours, pushing the total deliberation time to about 23 hours.
What could happen if there's a mistrial
One key question will pressure prosecutors if the jury remains deadlocked and the judge declares a mistrial: Will you retry Lindsay Clancy?
Judge William Sullivan can still opt to charge jurors to continue deliberating if they again say they cannot reach a unanimous verdict.
If the panel reports it’s still deadlocked later in deliberations, the prosecution and the defense would likely make arguments to Sullivan about whether the jurors should keep trying. But at some point, the judge can declare a mistrial over a hung jury. Prosecutors would then have the right to bring the case to trial again with a new jury.
After a mistrial, one of the parties could make a strategic request to move the case to another jurisdiction in the state, arguing they can’t get a fair trial in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred.
Prosecutors could also decline to try the case a second time.
Oftentimes prosecutors will ask the victims’ family for their perspective. In this case, because the families of the victims and the defendant are intertwined, competing interests may interfere with consensus.
The parties could also come to a plea agreement to avoid a second trial.
