Clancy Jury Deadlock Persists After Judge’s Final Warning
Wertynews.com – The Lindsay Clancy jury still deadlocked after more than 28 hours of deliberation spread across five days, forcing Judge William Sullivan to send the twelve-member panel home Wednesday evening without a verdict. The jurors, nine women and three men, told the Plymouth Superior Court bench they could not reach unanimity on the fate of Clancy, who faces first-degree murder charges for the deaths of her three young children. Sullivan dismissed them with instructions to reconvene Thursday morning.
This was the second time the group had signaled impasse. A written note arrived Tuesday morning stating the jurors were “unable to come to a unanimous decision,” and Sullivan sent them back to work. A second note landed around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, prompting the judge to deliver what Massachusetts practice calls the “Tuey-Rodriguez” instruction — colloquially, the “dynamite charge.”
“I know it’s been a long day. First off, thank you for your time,” Sullivan told the jurors before ending the session.
How the Dynamite Charge Works and What Comes Next
In Massachusetts procedure, the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction is a last-resort mechanism. Read aloud to a stalled panel, it communicates that the court expects a verdict and that continued deadlock will produce a mistrial. Courtroom reporter Kristina Rex of WBZ-TV, who has covered the trial daily, called the move a “Hail Mary” — a final, high-stakes attempt to break the logjam before the judge voids the proceedings.
The instruction is not novel to Massachusetts dockets. It appeared in the first Karen Read trial in 2024 and in the 2023 trial of Emanuel Lopes, accused of killing Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna in 2018. In Lopes’s case the initial jury hung, producing a mistrial. At the 2024 retrial, the panel told the judge three separate times it was stuck. Ultimately, after six days and roughly 32 hours of deliberation, that jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
Whether the dynamite charge will produce a similar breakthrough here is uncertain. WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman offered a measured assessment when asked about the odds:
“I don’t think there’s actual statistics on this, but we’ve seen it go both ways. We’ve seen it when the instruction does prompt the jury to get past their impasse and come to a verdict. And we’ve also seen it when the jury says we’ve tried and tried again, and we still can’t reach a verdict. It’s anyone’s guess at this point as to what this jury will do.”
The Charges, Verdict Options, and Defense Position
Clancy is accused of strangling her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — in their Duxbury home on January 24, 2023. Prosecutors allege she planned the killings and understood the difference between right and wrong at the time. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington contends Clancy was overmedicated and suffering from postpartum psychosis, rendering her not criminally responsible.
Jurors face an unusual menu of five possible outcomes: not guilty by reason of insanity, not guilty, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter. That breadth of options adds complexity to an already emotionally charged deliberation.
Should Thursday’s resumed deliberations fail to produce a verdict, Sullivan could declare a mistrial — an outcome that has occurred twice in recent Massachusetts history, in the 2023 Lopes trial and the 2024 Karen Read trial. Reddington, speaking outside the courthouse, indicated he would be ready to proceed immediately should a retrial become necessary.
“I’d try it next week,” Reddington said.
He added, however, that one element of the original proceedings would not be repeated. He objected to what he characterized as a grilling of Clancy by prosecution experts, including a Dr. Mack and another unnamed physician.
“I’m not letting them take another crack at her. They’re not going to sit down with her again with the Dr. Mack and doctor whatever his name is, and sit down with her and pepper her with questions.”
Reddington also took aim at Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz, arguing that the decision to charge first-degree murder — which mandates a jury trial — foreclosed the possibility of a plea negotiation or a bench trial. Had the charge been second-degree murder, both alternatives would have remained open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the Clancy jury remains deadlocked on Thursday? Judge Sullivan can declare a mistrial, ending the trial without a verdict. The prosecution would then decide whether to seek a retrial, which Reddington says the defense would be prepared to face within days.
What is the “dynamite charge” in Massachusetts courts? It is the informal name for the Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, a judicial directive read to a stalled jury warning that continued deadlock will result in a mistrial. It is considered a last-resort tool before the judge voids the proceedings.
How many verdict options do jurors have in this case? Five: not guilty by reason of insanity, not guilty, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter. The jury must select one outcome unanimously.
Has the dynamite instruction ever produced a verdict in a similar Massachusetts case? Yes. In the 2024 Emanuel Lopes retrial, the jury reported being stuck three times before ultimately returning a unanimous guilty verdict after roughly 32 hours of deliberation over six days.