Recommended
A federal judge announced this Friday that he will declare a mistrial in the case against Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three children during an alleged psychotic break, but he gave her lawyer time to appeal the decision, according to U.S. media.
Judge William Sullivan communicated his decision to declare a mistrial around 11:30 a.m. local time on the seventh day of jury deliberations at a court in Plymouth, after the jury sent him a note for the third time expressing that they were at a deadlock and could not reach a unanimous verdict.
"It is with regret that we communicate that we cannot reach a unanimous decision and will not be able to do so," the jury indicated, according to CNN.
However, minutes after his announcement, the judge granted Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, one hour to file an emergency appeal of his order to the state Supreme Court, effectively delaying its effect.
The consequences of any possible outcome of the appeal are unclear, and experts pointed out to the media how unusual such a quick petition is after a mistrial declaration, although it is common for lawyers to make appeals to higher courts during murder trials.
Reddington's move comes after he asked the judge yesterday for the removal of a jury member who allegedly refused to follow the rules of the deliberations, and whom he blamed for the deadlock in reaching a unanimous verdict.
Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, faces three murder charges for the strangulation deaths of her children Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months, on January 24, 2023, in their Duxbury (Massachusetts) home, after which she attempted suicide and was left partially paralyzed.
The jury had the options of finding her guilty of first or second-degree murder, manslaughter, or finding her not guilty, or acquitting her due to mental health issues.
In practice, the case sought to determine whether Clancy would serve a life sentence or be subject to psychiatric confinement. EFE
[Publicidad]