Deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial are now in their fourth day. The 12 member jury informed Judge William Sullivan that it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. He instructed jurors to continue deliberating, noting that the lengthy trial involved more than 80 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence.

In January 2023, the 36 year old woman strangled five year old Cora, three year old Dawson and eight month old Callan at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She then attempted to kill herself and was left paralyzed after jumping out of a second story window.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington is seeking an acquittal on the grounds that Clancy was not criminally responsible for her actions. He claims that the former nurse suffered from postpartum psychosis and was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the killings. Clancy later said she heard a man’s voice telling her what to do.

The prosecution points out that shortly before the killings, she sent her husband out to get food and go to the pharmacy, while checking the time of his return on her phone. Prosecutors argue that this and other evidence shows she was aware of what she was doing.

If the jury finds her guilty of first degree murder, she faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. If she is acquitted on grounds of lack of criminal responsibility, she could be committed to a state psychiatric hospital. The trial has reignited the debate over postpartum mental health and how it is assessed by US courts.

(Reuters, bak)