Lindsay Clancy's attorney reveals details of letters sent to her during trial
Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney has revealed that his client has received an outpouring of public support during her murder trial, enough letters to fill three banker's boxes.
Kevin Reddington told reporters that jury deliberations wrapped for the day on Monday that the letters had left Clancy 'nervous but buoyed,' according to comments he gave outside report, reported by NBC.
He said he believed the case had struck a chord with so many women because of the 'atrocious' medical and psychiatric care the trial has exposed.
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"She knows tht there are people out there that have not judged her and know that she is a wonderful, wonderful person," Reddington added.
Clancy, 36, is accused of murdering her three young children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in the basement of the family's home in Duxbury, Massachusetts on Janury 24, 2023.
Her then husband was out running errands, and returned to find she had attempted suicide, an attempt that left her paralysed from the waist down.
Clancy's attorney's have argued she was in a state of psychosis at the time of the killings, compelled to act on auditory hallucinations they say was a symptom of postpartum psychosis, a severe but rare mental illness that can affect new mothers.
Prosecutors for the commonwealth of Massachusetts have rejected that account, arguing Clancy was aware of her actions and had planned the murders in advance, which they say is inconsistent with a psychotic episode.
The prosecution is pushing for a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
Monday marked the third day of deliberations, after closing arguments were delivered on Thursday morning and the panel of nine women and three men began deliberating that afternoon. The jury finished for the day shortly before 4pm without reaching a verdict.
Friday's full day of deliberations also ended without a decision, though jurors did submit one question, asking the judge to let them review pill bottles and a knife that had been entered into evidence. Reddington said the jury had never actually been shown those items during the trial, so he wasn't reading too much into the request, adding that he considered the jury "very thorough."
What happens if Lindsay Clancy is found not guilty?
Beyond first-degree murder, the jury also has the option of convicting Clancy on lesser charges including second-degree murder or manslaughter, or of finding her not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, meaning they accept she killed the children but believe she couldn't control her actions due to psychosis.
Judge William Sullivan has said that if jurors return that verdict, prosecutors or another authority will likely petition to have Clancy committed to a mental health facility.
What sentencing would look like under a lesser charge remains unclear.
Asked directly what he considers a just outcome for his client, Reddington told reporters: "Well, put it this way: If I was representing you, I don't think I'd be real happy if the jury said you were guilty, right?"
The trial has run for several weeks and included testimony from more than 80 witnesses.
Reddington praised the jury's conduct throughout, saying panel members had remained attentive and were likely 'going through everything' during deliberations.
"Nobody's called in sick," he said.
"Nobody's bailed out. I mean, they're really focused people, and they're doing their due diligence."
Topics: Lindsay Clancy, True crime, Mental Health, US News
Thomas Bamford