A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s case on Friday after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict following about 38 hours of deliberations over seven days. Clancy, a former nurse, is accused of murdering her three children. The jury’s repeated deadlock came after defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to intervene over a holdout juror. The emergency request was denied, clearing the way for Judge William F. Sullivan to declare the mistrial in court.
In this article, we will look at how the 36-year-old suspect will have to live after a mistrial, having neither a conviction nor an acquittal. The three murder charges against the 36-year-old – for killing her three children – will remain alive. Reddington asked the state’s highest court to order Judge Sullivan to further question the holdout juror or remove the juror from the panel. Could she be out on bail?
The defense argued that the juror was “biased” and was refusing to follow the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt. The defense also accused the trial court of failing to protect the jury’s integrity, stating: “The court has ‘abdicated its responsibility to ensure the integrity of the jury.’” Sullivan had previously said he did not believe he was allowed to question the juror further about the jury’s deliberations.
Earlier reporting noted: Lindsay Clancy verdict: What happens to her after mistrial ruling? Earlier reporting noted: Given that the trial looks set to end without a resolution, a key question is what happens to Lindsay Clancy after the mistrial verdict? Earlier reporting noted: A mistrial ruling for Lindsay Clancy does not mean she has been acquitted of the charges.
The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial returned deadlocked for the third time on Friday in Plymouth, Massachusetts , and a mistrial verdict seems increasingly likely now.
Reddington used that note to argue that the juror was not properly applying the court’s instructions. However, the jury could not reach the unanimous verdict required in the case. After several reports of deadlock, Sullivan moved to end the trial. A mistrial means the current trial ended without a final guilty or not-guilty verdict. It does not mean Clancy was acquitted or found guilty. The mistrial leaves open the possibility of a new trial with a different jury. Prosecutors will now decide how to proceed with the case.
The jury’s foreperson had told Sullivan that the holdout juror had “made statements acknowledging doubt but refuses to apply it to the verdict as the law states.
