Judge refuses to dismiss holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy murder trial

A judge on Thursday told a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial to continue deliberations, rejecting the defence's request to dismiss a juror who was said to be unwilling to follow the court's instructions on reasonable doubt. The request followed a note from the jury forewoman indicating that one juror was not adhering to the judge's guidance.

Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of her three children in a Massachusetts home on Jan. 24, 2023. Her defence argues she suffered postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings and could not distinguish right from wrong.

The twelve-person panel, composed of nine women and three men, has spent about 35 hours deliberating over six weeks of trial proceedings without reaching a verdict. This was the first instance of overt tension inside the deliberation room, according to court observers.

"I don't feel it is proper for me to side with one side or the other of the deliberations," Judge William Sullivan said when addressing the defence's motion.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague affirmed the judge's instructions, stating that the court should not attempt to assess the correctness of the jurors' internal discussions.

After the judge questioned each juror individually, he reiterated that a unanimous finding of guilt beyond reasonable doubt is required for a conviction. The holdout juror was allowed to remain, and deliberations are set to resume on Friday.

If the jury fails to reach a verdict, the judge may declare a mistrial, leaving prosecutors to decide whether to retry the case. A not-guilty verdict on the grounds of insanity could result in Clancy's commitment to a state psychiatric facility.