US jury deadlocks again in Lindsay Clancy's child murder trial

<span>US jury deadlocks again in Lindsay Clancy's child murder trial</span> <span><span>Estelle.Bronkhorst</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-09-03T07:00:00+02:00" title="Thursday, September 3, 2026 - 07:00">Thu, 09/03/2026 - 07:00</time> </span>

</div> </div>

</div> </div> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_36 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://www.enca.com/news/us-jury-deadlocks-again-lindsay-clancys-child-murder-trial" data-a2a-title="US jury deadlocks again in Lindsay Clancy's child murder trial"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.enca.com%2Fnews%2Fus-jury-deadlocks-again-lindsay-clancys-child-murder-trial&title=US%20jury%20deadlocks%20again%20in%20Lindsay%20Clancy%27s%20child%20murder%20trial"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span>

</div> </div> <div>

<div class="text-long"><p>PLYMOUTH - A US judge on Wednesday sent jurors back for a final push toward a verdict in Lindsay Clancy's triple murder trial after they deadlocked for a second time, raising the prospect of a mistrial.</p><p>Clancy does not deny strangling her children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, but claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis -- excusing her from criminal responsibility. </p><p>Her five-week trial, which was televised and featured more than 80 witnesses, has sparked debate in the United States over maternal mental health. </p><p>The jury on Wednesday indicated to Judge William Sullivan that it had reached a stalemate again on the fifth day of deliberations.</p><p>To reach a verdict, all 12 jurors must agree.</p><p>If they cannot agree, the judge will declare a mistrial and prosecutors must decide whether to try the case again with a new jury.</p></div>

</div> </div> <div> <div class="media">

</div> </div>

<div>AFP | JOSEPH PREZIOSO</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

</div> </div> <div>

<div class="text-long"><p>According to US media, Sullivan issued the jurors a last-resort, so-called "dynamite charge" that encourages them to keep discussing in a bid to break the impasse and avoid a mistrial.</p><p>Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, saying she heard a voice ordering her to kill her children. Her lawyers say this was caused by postpartum psychosis. </p><p>After the killings at her family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023, she jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt that left her paralysed from the waist down. </p><p>The former nurse faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty of first-degree murder. </p></div>

</div> </div> <div> <div class="media">

</div> </div>

<div>AFP | JOSEPH PREZIOSO</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

</div> </div> <div>

<div class="text-long"><p>Jurors can also find Clancy guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, or not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility -- a verdict that would see Clancy sent to a psychiatric facility.</p><p>During Clancy's trial, dozens of women dressed in pink came to the Massachusetts court to show their support for her. </p><p>Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency that affects about one to two women in every 1,000 births, according to Sally Wilson, national training coordinator at the UK-based charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis. </p><p>Clancy's case is "an incredibly distressing and rare outcome of postpartum psychosis," Wilson told AFP last month.</p><ul><li data-list-item-id="e6127e07ade596adb004cd5ae3c0a0afd">AFP</li></ul></div>

</div> </div> </div>