The Lindsay Clancy Trial Mini Series: The Verdict
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What were the five possible verdict outcomes the jury had to consider?
Hi, I'm Gemma Bath, host of True Crime Conversations, and welcome to our mini-series unpacking the trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts, the case the entire world can't take their eyes off. In our last episode, we took you through the defence's case. In this episode, we are discussing the verdict or lack thereof. At the conclusion of the closing arguments, the jurors entered into deliberation. In this instance, the jury was made up of nine women and three men, and they had five different outcomes to consider. The first would be a not guilty ruling. However, this was always highly unlikely, as the defense did not deny the fact that Lindsay killed five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan in January 2023.
The second was a not guilty by reason of insanity ruling, which the defense argued for, giving evidence to show their case that Lindsay was in the grips of postpartum psychosis and couldn't be held responsible for her actions. For this ruling, the prosecution would have had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy was criminally responsible for killing the children. The third option was first degree murder, which carries the harshest penalty in Massachusetts with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The fourth option, second degree murder. This differentiates from first degree murder as it applies to crimes where there were unlawful killings done in malice or recklessness, but without pre-planning.
For this, the jury might
This also carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but with a chance of parole. The fifth and final ruling the jury could have reached was manslaughter. For this they would have had to come to the conclusion that Clatsy had unintentionally killed the kids by reckless conduct. This carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, which applies per count. If the jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision, it results in a mistrial. A decision no one involved wanted. After four days of deliberating on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, the jury expressed that they were in a deadlock. They could not come to a unanimous decision, they said.
I know. That this was a long trial. All right. I know there were over eighty witnesses, uh there were over three hundred exhibits. Um And but because of that I'm going to ask you to go back out, keeping in mind all of the instructions that I gave you. to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time. All right.
How did the jury become deadlocked after four days of deliberation?
And so with that I'm gonna ask you to go back out. Like I said, keep in mind the instructions I gave you, reviewing the evidence, and I'd ask you to uh resume your deliberations at this time. Okay, thank you.
By the conclusion of a fifth day of deliberations, they had still not come to a verdict. They went to the judge again, and he issued a special instruction to encourage further deliberation. The official term for this is called the Allen charge, or in Massachusetts, it's referred to as the Tui Rodriguez Charge. In layman's terms, it's just an official word of encouragement to reach a verdict. But it's usually the step before declaring a mistrial.
I'm gonna give you Another instruction, all right? And it's it's this. Our constitution and laws provide that in a criminal case, the principal way for deciding questions of fact is by the verdict of a jury. In most cases, perhaps strictly speaking, in all cases, absolute certainty cannot be attained, nor is it expected. The verdict to which a juror agrees must be their own, the result of their own convictions, and not a mere acquiescence in the conclusions of their fellow jurors. Yet, in order to bring twelve minds to a unanimous result, you must examine the questions submitted to you with candor and with proper regard and deference and respect to the opinions of each other. You should consider that it is desirable that the case be decided.
In the present case, a criminal case, the burden of proof is on the Commonwealth to establish every element the crime charge beyond reasonable doubt. If you were left in doubt,
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What were the five possible verdict outcomes the jury had to consider?
0:00–2:59
2
How did the jury become deadlocked after four days of deliberation?
2:59–5:31
3
What is an Allen (Tui Rodriguez) charge and why was it given to the jurors?
5:31–7:59
4
Why did one juror refuse to follow the reasonable‑doubt instruction?
7:59–10:15
5
What led Judge Sullivan to officially declare a mistrial?
10:15–11:33
6
What are the possible next steps for the state after the mistrial?
11:33–13:25
7
What options does Lindsay Clancy have for a new trial or a bench trial?
13:25–14:58
8
How are the victims’ families and the community reacting to the mistrial?
14:58–15:29
Speakers
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