Deadlocked Lindsay Clancy jury sent home for the night

By RACHEL SHARP, CRIME CORRESPONDENT and RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Updated: 21:58 BST, 2 September 2026

The jury in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial were dismissed for the day hours after they told the judge they could not come to a unanimous decision.The nine women and three men were again unable to reach a verdict this morning before Judge William Sullivan ordered a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, used by Massachusetts judges when a jury reports it is deadlocked. The controversial instruction is outlawed by many states and dates back to 1851, acting as a firm legal push to get the jury to resolve their differences.If the 12 jurors, who have been deliberating for 29 and a half hours, still cannot reach a unanimous verdict following the instruction, there will be a hung jury and the judge will be forced to declare a mistrial. The jury also declared a deadlock in deliberations yesterday.Clancy is on trial for killing her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, using exercise bands at her Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023. She has admitted to the slayings but pleaded not guilty to murder. Earlier today, a woman who was arrested for 'filming jurors' outside Plymouth Superior Court was arraigned and mobbed by angry supporters.Dawn Light, 56, of Sutton, was formally charged with aggravated intimidation after recording the jury on her phone as they exited the trial yesterday, police said. She has pleaded not guilty.Jury dismissed for the day amid deadlockJudge Sullivan briefly addressed the jury before dismissing them for the day.'Members of the jury, I know it's been a long day,' the judge said.He thanked them for their time and reminded the panel not to read or discuss anything about the case.Some jurors looked tired and worn out as they nodded along to the judge.Sullivan then dismissed the panel until tomorrow morning. The jury is not being sequestered.The group has deliberated for almost 30 hours after they told the judge for a second time on Wednesday that they are unable to reach a unanimous verdict.The panel of 12, nine women and three men, must determine whether Clancy is guilty of murder, manslaughter or not criminally responsible for her actions.If they cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the judge will be forced to declare a mistrial.Reddington 'ready' for a second trial if mistrial is declaredA court reporter asked Clancy's defense lawyer if he was 'ready and prepared' for a second trial if a mistrial were to be declared in her case.'Ready right now,' he said.Lindsay Clancy defense lawyer says he's 'proud' of juryLindsay Clancy's defense lawyer Kevin Reddington said he was 'proud' of the jury outside of court on Wednesday.'I'm just very proud of this jury. It's amazing, they're working so hard, and you know, God bless the system,' he said.'Whatever happens with the case, they, nobody can say that they haven't given it their all,' he continued. Court back in sessionThe parties involved in the Lindsay Clancy trial were called back to the courtroom.Judge Sullivan called a sidebar with the attorneys before the jury has been brought in.Activist Jake Lang protests outside Clancy courthouseFar-right activist Jake Lang protested outside the Lindsay Clancy courthouse on Wednesday.He carried a double-sided poster. One side said: 'Repeal the 19th,' referring to the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution that gave women the right to vote.The other side said: 'I can't breathe. Cora. Dawson. Callan.'Frustrated juror winced when judge told them to go back and deliberate againOne female juror winced and gave a slight shake of her head when Judge William Sullivan ordered the group to return to deliberations this afternoon. The juror has been notably emotive throughout the trial. She wept as she heard Patrick Clancy's 911 audio from the night the children were killed.What is a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction?The jury told the judge they are unable to reach a unanimous decision after 23 hours of deliberations.'Members of the jury, I've got your question, and the question, or probably more of a statement than a question, saying, "After much deliberation, we are still unable to come to a unanimous decision,"' Judge Sullivan said.He then read the panel the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction– also known as the ‘dynamite charge’ – which guides them that they are in the best position to reach a verdict and that a future jury would not be better equipped than them.It is a final instruction read to a jury in Massachusetts before a mistrial can be declared.'There is no reason to suppose that the case will ever be submitted to 12 persons more intelligent, more impartial or more competent to decide it. Or that more or clear evidence will be produced,' Sullivan said.'With this in mind, it’s your duty to decide the case if you can do it conscientiously. In order to make a decision more attainable, the law imposes the burden of proof on one party or the other in all cases. In the present case, a criminal case, the burden of proof is on the Commonwealth to establish every element of the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt.'If you are left in doubt of any element of the crime, the defendant is entitled to the benefit of the doubt and must be acquitted.'The instruction tells the jury they must make a final and serious effort to reach a unanimous verdict.The judge may give the jury the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction no more than twice; after that, a mistrial must be declared.Jury enters the courtroomThe jury was called into the courtroom.Judge calls lawyers to sidebarJudge William Sullivan entered the courtroom and immediately called a sidebar.As he spoke to the lawyers, he passed them a piece of paper to look at.Lindsay Clancy jury has a questionThose involved in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial have been called back into the courtroom.The jury has a question.It has been 10 hours of deliberations since the jury last sent a message to the judge - saying that they could not reach a unanimous verdict.The question comes almost as soon as the lunch recess ended.