As jurors returned for a second day of deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, her attorney offered a glimpse into how she was coping while awaiting a verdict.
Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington told reporters that Clancy was “sad,” “nervous” and “scared,” according to NBC Boston and the Associated Press.
Reddington also said the panel of nine women and three men must carefully consider the full record, adding, “They have to weigh all of this evidence. I believe that the government ultimately has not proven their case.”
Clancy is accused of strangling her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — on Jan. 24, 2023, before jumping from a second-story window at the family’s home in Duxbury. She survived but is now paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.
During the trial, Reddington argued that Clancy had been improperly medicated and was suffering from postpartum psychosis when the children were killed. Prosecutors have disputed that account, saying she was depressed but not psychotic, and contending that she did not take her medications as directed or fully convey her symptoms to medical providers.
Clancy became visibly emotional on Aug. 27 as both sides delivered their closing arguments to the jury.
She wiped away tears with a tissue while Reddington spoke the names of Cora, Dawson and Callan and described them as victims of a “horrible, horrific act.”
Another emotional moment came when Reddington showed jurors a “wish jar” that Clancy and her ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, had purchased during their honeymoon in Hawaii. He told the courtroom the jar held written wishes from the couple hoping for healthy children, prompting Clancy to close her eyes and wipe away more tears.
Later, Clancy took deep breaths and bowed her head as Second Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague outlined why the order of the killings—including first moving Dawson to a separate room where Cora couldn’t intervene—showed deliberation and “ordered thinking.”
The jury must now decide Lindsay’s fate.
She will either be found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter or found not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility. She will either face prison time or be committed to a psychiatric facility.
Jury deliberations are set to resume Aug. 31.
