One of three male jurors on Lindsay Clancy's murder trial has spoken out about a "shocking" moment involving the holdout juror, whose refusal to agree to a not guilty verdict ultimately led to a mistrial.
Background on the case
Clancy's six-week trial, which included testimony from 85 witnesses, ended in a mistrial after the 12-person jury, made up of nine women and three men, was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury foreperson, a retired schoolteacher, described the process to NBC10 as an emotional rollercoaster, saying she was heartbroken they couldn't reach a verdict for Clancy.
It's since emerged that a single juror stood between Clancy and a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, with the foreperson saying he had told the group he had reasonable doubt about Clancy's criminal responsibility, but refused to formally agree to that verdict.
The shocking act
Speaking to Good Morning America, one of the male jurors described a specific moment during deliberations, recalling: "He took the exercise band out of the bag, grabbed an empty water bottle, tied the band around the bottle and pulled it." The juror said the group felt this went beyond their role, adding: "We're not in here to play detective."
The juror said the panel didn't start deliberations split 11 to 1 in favour of a not guilty verdict, but that most jurors ultimately came to acknowledge reasonable doubt over whether Clancy was guilty of murder, given evidence she had been experiencing postpartum psychosis. He described the overall experience as deeply frustrating given how much time the jury had dedicated to the case.
The foreperson also recalled being partway through filling out the verdict sheets when the holdout juror told the group: "I'm still not going to say that she's not guilty by reason of insanity."
What happens next
A spokesperson for Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said he will soon decide whether to retry Clancy before a new jury, with Cruz telling reporters: "Children were murdered and it's our job to seek justice." Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, told CBS: "I know enough to know it doesn't matter what I'd like. All I know is that I'm not ever going to agree this young lady do a day in jail."
