A jury in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy remained deadlocked Wednesday after five days of deliberations, prompting a Massachusetts judge to issue a formal set of instructions in a last-ditch effort to push the panel toward a verdict.
According to BBC News, the jury of nine women and three men sent the judge a second note saying they could not reach a unanimous decision. Judge William Sullivan responded Wednesday afternoon by reading what is known in Massachusetts as a Tuey-Rodriguez charge, a formal instruction that encourages jurors to consider all perspectives and examine their own views while maintaining their individual conscience.
"It is desired that the case be decided," Sullivan told the panel after receiving the second deadlock note. He then sent them back to the deliberation room, some with frustrated expressions on their faces.
Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, does not dispute that she killed her two sons and daughter in 2023 in the basement of their family home in Massachusetts. Her defense argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and could not distinguish right from wrong. The prosecution argued she made a calculated, intentional decision to kill the children and knew right from wrong in that moment. She faces three counts of first-degree murder.
The jury has several possible outcomes available. Verdicts can range from not guilty, to not guilty by reason of insanity, to first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter. Under U.S. law, any verdict must be reached unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt.
If the jury continues to signal it cannot agree, the judge could declare a mistrial, ending the case with no decision. A hung jury would not mean prosecutors had proven their case, nor that Clancy is not guilty. Prosecutors could then refile charges and begin again with a new jury, negotiate a plea agreement, or dismiss the charges entirely. Regardless of the outcome, Clancy would not go free immediately. She would remain held under the existing murder charges in the mental health facility where she currently lives.
In Massachusetts, there are typically multiple steps a judge must take before accepting that a jury is truly deadlocked. Wednesday's Tuey-Rodriguez charge represented the second formal step in that process. The jury was set to resume deliberations Thursday.
