Andrea Yates’ lawyer makes chilling comparison after Lindsay Clancy mistrial
Warning: This article contains discussion of children dying which some readers may find distressing.
Andrea Yates' lawyer has spoken out following Lindsay Clancy's trial being declared a mistrial.
Earlier this week, the court room rung out with audible gasps when it was declared that Clancy's trial was a mistrial.
Clancy, who was on trial for the murder of her three children, never denied killing her children but her defense argued that she was suffering with postpartum psychosis at the time, therefore should not be held criminally liable.
Advert
Her trial in Massachusetts went on for weeks. Then, when jurors were tasked with reached a verdict, they failed to do so after roughly 38 hours of deliberations.
In a note to the judge, the jury said: "It is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to."
As Clancy's harrowing trial made headlines across the globe, the case of Andrea Yates gained renewed attention.
Yates killed her five children in 2001, and a year later she was convicted of capital murder.
She went on to appeal her conviction in 2006 and was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity.
With this in mind, Yates' lawyer George Parnham thinks Clancy may have the same fate if prosecutors decide to have another trial.
Speaking to the New York Post, the 85-year-old attorney said: "Give me a hung jury and a mistrial every day of the week."
Reportedly jurors on Clancy's case were 11-1 on acquitting her. Because of this, Parham thinks prosecutors are unlikely to retry the 36-year-old mother and will reach an agreement instead.
"I think in all probability, the resolution, if it happens, will not be a not guilty by reason of insanity acquittal," he shared.
Parnham further predicted that Clancy would be incarcerated for 'a short period of time' after being convicted of lesser charges. However, he personally believes she he should have been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the first trial.
He went on to compare the case to that of Yates', noting that his client was initially found guilty but was later acquitted.
"We came back, retried it and they acquitted her," the lawyer said.
Yates, who had a history of poor mental health, was 37 years old when she killed her children, Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and Mary, 6 months.
She waited for her husband to go to work before taking their lives. Yates then called police on herself and admitted to killing her kids.
Since her guilty conviction was appealed and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity, Yates has been at Kerrville State Hospital, a mental facility in Kerrville, Texas.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: Lindsay Clancy, True crime, Mental Health, US News
Niamh Shackleton