Overview
- The jury has not reached a unanimous verdict after six days of deliberations and the judge ordered jurors to resume talks following a request to remove a holdout juror on Thursday.
- The defense asked the court to remove one juror who it says is blocking consensus and refuses to follow instructions, and the judge denied that request.
- Lindsay Clancy admits she killed her three children but pleads not guilty by reason of postpartum psychosis while the prosecution says the killings were planned and she understood their gravity.
- Unanimity among all 12 jurors is required in this Massachusetts court so a single holdout can force a deadlock that could prompt the judge to declare the jury 'blocked' and annul the trial for retrial; a conviction carries possible life sentences.
- The six-week trial heard more than 80 witnesses and about 300 exhibits and has drawn large public attention and protests that have sharpened debate over how courts treat severe maternal mental illness and how medical care for new mothers might change.