JURY IN LINDSAY CLANCY TRIAL SAYS IT CANNOT REACH UNANIMOUS VERDICT IN CHILDREN’S KILLINGS. (PHOTO).

 Jury in Lindsay Clancy trial says it cannot reach unanimous verdict in children’s killings

 Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial told the judge Tuesday that they had been unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether the Massachusetts mother should be held criminally responsible for killing her three young children in 2023.

The announcement came near the beginning of the jury’s fourth day of deliberations and marked the first indication that the panel had reached an impasse. Judge William Sullivan instructed the jurors to continue deliberating after they reported they could not agree.

Clancy remained seated and looked toward the jury as Sullivan addressed the panel. The judge noted the length and complexity of the trial, which included more than 80 witnesses and more than 300 exhibits.

The jury had previously asked to review a knife Clancy used to injure herself and bags containing empty prescription medication bottles found at her home.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, does not dispute that she strangled her children. Her defense maintains that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible for her actions. Prosecutors argue that she understood what she was doing and deliberately killed the children.

Clancy, 36, has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Jurors could find her guilty of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if they determine that her deteriorating mental health made her unable to understand or control her actions.

A murder conviction could result in a life sentence. If Clancy is acquitted, she could still be ordered into a mental health facility if an evaluation determines she poses a danger to the public.

Defense attorneys argued that Clancy loved her children but lost touch with reality because of postpartum psychosis, a rare condition that can occur after childbirth. She had sought treatment for worsening mental health problems before the killings, including spending time in a psychiatric hospital.

Prosecutors presented a different explanation, arguing that Clancy was depressed and exhausted by her life and made a deliberate decision to kill her children before attempting to take her own life.