This story might include content material readers discover disturbing or triggering. For assist with postpartum temper problems, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is free, confidential, and 24/7. Text or name 1-833-TLC-MAMA. If you or somebody is having ideas of suicide, name 988 or go to https://988lifeline.org/ to talk on-line.
Jurors on Monday continued to deliberate the destiny of Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury girl charged with homicide within the deaths of her three kids in January 2023. They have to date deliberated for a part of the day on Thursday and all of Friday.
As he arrived to the courthouse on Monday, Clancy’s legal professional Kevin Reddington paused outdoors to tear protection of the high-profile case by Fox media personalities Nancy Grace and Sean Hannity.
Reddington mentioned Hannity’s weekend protection was “horrific,” and accused Grace of misrepresenting the information of the case.
Clancy, 36, has admitted killing 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan, then slashing her wrists and neck and leaping out a second-story window in a suicide try. She stays paralyzed from the waist down and seems in court docket every day in a wheelchair.
On Friday, the panel requested to see Clancy’s prescription capsule bottles and the knife she utilized in her suicide try. They had been displays within the case however had not been despatched to the jury room.
She has pleaded not responsible to a few counts of first-degree homicide, asserting an madness protection in a case that has drawn worldwide consideration for its concentrate on ladies’s postpartum psychological well being.
The central query earlier than the jury is whether or not Clancy ought to be held criminally chargeable for her actions. In Massachusetts, a defendant could also be discovered to lack felony accountability if she was affected by a “mental disease or defect” that made her unable to understand the wrongfulness of her actions to an ethical certainty, or unable to evolve them to the legislation.
The choose instructed jurors final week on the relevant legislation and vary of verdicts: first-degree homicide, second-degree homicide, or manslaughter (in addition to verdicts of not responsible and never responsible by lack of felony accountability).
Reddington has argued that she was affected by postpartum psychosis on the time of the slayings. He alleged a collection of failures on the a part of Clancy’s psychiatric therapy suppliers that exacerbated her signs within the months earlier than the killings.
As in different felony trials, the burden of proof falls on the prosecution. In order to get a conviction, prosecutors should show past an affordable doubt that Clancy was not severely mentally sick when she killed her kids, or even when she was, that she understood her actions had been mistaken or may conform to the legislation.
Should jurors acquit her in Plymouth Superior Court, she wouldn’t go free however can be despatched to a state psychiatric hospital the place she’d come up for periodic critiques to find out whether or not she will reside safely locally.
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Woman who handled postpartum points praises Clancy’s lawyer outdoors court docket — 1:43 p.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
A lady who mentioned she struggled with postpartum points approached Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, outdoors court docket Monday along with her mom to reward his work defending Clancy in opposition to homicide expenses.
“I wish someone would have helped my daughter,” the girl’s mom mentioned as she moved in to present Reddington a hug whereas the lawyer was surrounded by reporters. “God bless you.”
Her daughter, who recognized herself as Hannah, added, “we want to take you out for a steak dinner, Mr. Reddington. We love you so much.”
She mentioned she had “an issue” in household court docket when her psychological well being was “weaponized” in opposition to her after she skilled postpartum challenges when her son was 8 months previous.
“You’re the voice of so many moms,” her mom instructed Reddington.
Hannah added that she is aware of what Clancy went by, telling Reddington, “I feel it.”
Hannah and her mom mentioned they traveled to Plymouth from Houston to point out their help for Clancy.
Jury takes a lunch break — 1:07 p.m.
By Jenna Perlman and Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff
The jury broke for lunch at 1 p.m. and can resume deliberations round 2 p.m., a court docket officer mentioned.
Quiet scene outdoors Plymouth Superior Court, however a couple of Clancy supporters gathers — 12:47 p.m.
By Jenna Perlman, Globe Staff
As the jury deliberated contained in the courthouse, a bunch of girls sat outdoors on benches going through one another. One handed out water. Another joked with the girl beside her.
“I expected more of a ‘Karen Read’ kind of chaos,” mentioned Mary Drysdale.
“It’s kinda chill.”
Drysdale retired on Friday from Best of Care, the place she was an consumption director for greater than a decade. On her first day of retirement, she discovered herself outdoors the courthouse.
“I woke up and was like, ‘maybe I’ll go to the beach,’’’ she said. But then I was like, ‘no I’ll go to Plymouth.’”
On Thursday, the day of closing arguments and the beginning of jury deliberations, dozens of pink-clad Clancy supporters gathered outdoors Plymouth Superior Court. On Friday and once more as we speak, there have been extra media members than supporters, however these which might be listed here are passionate.
“I just have a lot of questions,” mentioned Niurka De Jesus, a psychological well being supplier in Boston. “It compels me to want to support [Clancy] in any way, shape, or form that I can.”
As the jury deliberates, a glance again at a key ruling late within the trial — 12:00 p.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
As jurors proceed to deliberate on Monday, listed here are some excerpts from Judge William Sullivan’s ruling final week denying the protection’s movement for a mistrial primarily based on a prosecution witness who began to debate Catholic doctrine on the stand.
Sullivan wrote that the protection had sought the mistrial on the grounds that testimony from Dr. Kirk Heilbrun, a authorities knowledgeable who interviewed Clancy, was prejudicial.
Heibrun had testified that Clancy indicated her “expectation that she and the children would be together in heaven with God” following the killings and her personal suicide, Sullivan mentioned.
“She was raised as a Catholic and this is as I understand Catholic considerations that’s not necessarily what happens, but when I asked her about that, when I said isn’t suicide a mortal sin?” Heilbrun mentioned as Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, objected.
Sullivan mentioned it’s “well established” that non secular beliefs should not admissible to assault the credibility of a witness. But after telling the jury to ignore the testimony, the choose mentioned the error didn’t rise to the extent of warranting a mistrial.
“In the present case, the offered evidence was excluded, in part, as it relied upon an unsupported inference that all Catholics agree with all teachings of the Catholic Church,” Sullivan wrote. “In addition, the witness was not qualified to render an opinion as to the Catholic Church’s teaching.”
Sullivan mentioned he “weighed the alternatives to a mistrial and chose to strike the objected-to testimony and issued an instruction to disregard the area of inquiry as it was inappropriate.”
‘Do it right,’ Kevin Reddington says to media outdoors court docket — 9:50 a.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
Clancy’s legal professional Kevin Reddington paused outdoors court docket Monday morning to criticize protection of the high-profile case by Fox media personalities Nancy Grace and Sean Hannity.
He mentioned Hannity’s weekend protection was “horrific,” citing the host “and his men discussing every little inch of Lindsay’s symptoms and criticizing. Nancy Grace, to coin the phrase the ‘Queen of Mean,’ who misrepresents facts. I challenge Nancy Grace to show us where Lindsay Clancy ever said, ever googled, ‘how to kill.’ Words that came out of [Grace’s] mouth. And these things hurt. These things hurt people.”
Then he name-checked Globe reporter Shelley Murphy, who’s overlaying the trial for the paper, together with Bob Ward, a Boston 25 News reporter with a concentrate on crime.
“If you’re going to be a journalist, do it right,” Reddington mentioned. “Be a Bob Ward. Be a Shelley Murphy. Do it right.”
Jurors resume deliberations — 9:15 a.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
Judge Williams Sullivan despatched jurors again out to renew their deliberations.
This is the third day of deliberations, which have lasted about 10.5 hours to date.
Court begins for the day — 9:14 a.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
Judge William Sullivan received on the bench round 9:15 a.m. and greeted the events earlier than the jury entered.
Jurors entered the courtroom quickly after, and Sullivan ran by his normal questions to make sure they averted outdoors protection of the case.
By Ariela Lopez and Shelley Murphy Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff
Coffee store staff handed out free drinks to passersby. Meanwhile, spectators who’ve watched the Lindsay Clancy trial unfold milled about outdoors the courthouse, ready. A pair carried indicators.
Even as jurors deliberated, with no public proceedings going down, the Clancy trial in Plymouth Superior Court drew widespread consideration and exercise outdoors, as the general public awaits to listen to her destiny.
Here’s what occurred throughout Friday’s jury deliberations — 8:33 a.m.
By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff
Judge William F. Sullivan summoned Clancy’s lawyer and prosecutors to a sidebar to debate the jury’s query, however ended the session with out publicly disclosing what it was.
Jury questions, and solutions, are thought of a part of the general public file and it’s extremely uncommon for them to not be publicly disclosed.
Reddington later mentioned the query from jurors was a request to see Clancy’s prescription capsule bottles and the knife she used to slit her wrists and neck. They had been displays within the case however had not been despatched to the jury room.
Jurors might assessment the entire proof within the case, and the drugs and knife had been despatched again to the jury room upon request. They weren’t initially offered, together with different displays, as a result of they’re narcotics and a weapon.
Travis Andersen will be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Shelley Murphy will be reached at shelley.murphy@globe.com. Follow her @shelleymurph. Jenna Reyes will be reached at jenna.reyes@globe.com. Follow her @jennaelaney and Instagram @jennaelaney.