Clancy Jury Enters Fourth Day of Murder Deliberations

Fourth Day in Plymouth

The jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial returned to the courthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts, around 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday to resume deliberations for a fourth day, CNN reported.

The panel of nine women and three men is deciding whether prosecutors have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy, 36, murdered her three children.

CNN reported that the jury asked to be sent home on Monday afternoon, and that the deliberations at that point had run about 17 hours across three days.

A Change in the Jurors' Demeanor

CNN described the jurors as still and stoic when they entered the courtroom on Monday to be excused by Judge William F. Sullivan, a contrast with their usual manner.

According to CNN, the panel is normally responsive and emphatic with the judge and is often seen chatting on the way in and out of the courtroom. On Monday there were no smiles, and one woman stared into her lap.

Body language expert Susan Constantine told CNN the jury appears "hyper focused" but likely "fatigued," noting it has asked the court only one question so far. "So that's telling me they're really working hard rebuilding this case," she said.

The sources do not report that the jury has told the court it is deadlocked, and no verdict is recorded in them.

The Central Legal Question

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, has pleaded not guilty in the killings of her children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months.

Both the prosecution and the defense agree that Clancy fatally strangled the children with exercise resistance bands on January 24, 2023, CNN reported. Both sides also agree she had postpartum mental health issues beginning in September 2022.

To convict, prosecutors must prove she intentionally caused the deaths and was "criminally responsible." Under Massachusetts law, CNN reported, a "mental disease or defect" does not have to fit a formal medical diagnosis.

Prosecutors argue she could still appreciate that her actions were wrong, pointing to her sending her husband out on errands beforehand and asking for a lawyer when she woke in a hospital. "It was a choice," prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said in closing arguments.

Defense Criticism of Coverage

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington criticised national coverage of the case as he entered the courtroom on Monday, NBC Boston reported.

He singled out Fox News host Sean Hannity and legal analyst Nancy Grace, calling Grace "the Queen of Mean" and accusing her of misrepresenting the facts. He challenged her to show where Clancy had said or searched for "How to kill."

NBC10 Boston said it contacted both Grace and Hannity for comment on the remarks and had not heard back.