Tensions flare as judge declines to remove holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy trial

Tensions flared in Plymouth Superior Court as Judge William Sullivan denied the defense’s request to remove a holdout juror, after the jury forewoman informed the court that one juror would not follow instructions on reasonable doubt. The panel of nine women and three men has deliberated for roughly 35 hours without reaching a unanimous verdict on three counts of first‑degree murder against Lindsay Clancy, 36. She is accused of killing her children—Cora, five; Dawson, three; and Callan, eight months old—at her Massachusetts home on January 24, 2023. Clancy does not dispute strangling the two sons and daughter in the basement, but her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, maintains she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and could not distinguish right from wrong. The jury had previously sent two notes to the judge indicating it could not arrive at a unanimous decision; Thursday marked the first observable sign of discord in the deliberation room. Reddington told the court that the forewoman’s latest note complained to Judge Sullivan that a juror was refusing to heed the law on reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague and Reddington engaged in an animated exchange with the judge, which reporters in the gallery could not hear. BBC observers noted the defense attorney’s exasperated facial expressions and gestures. Judge Sullivan then questioned each juror individually and reminded the panel that a conviction requires a unanimous finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Warning: This nonfiction contains distressing details.