The jury in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, once again told the judge that it could not reach a unanimous verdict.
The judge sent jurors back for further deliberations after giving them an instruction used when a jury is deadlocked. The instruction asks jurors to reconsider their positions while not abandoning their honestly held beliefs.
Jurors began deliberating Thursday after hearing closing arguments in the murder trial. They first reported being deadlocked on Tuesday.
If Clancy is found guilty of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury could also find her guilty of lesser charges, including second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Clancy could also be found not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, commonly known as an insanity defense. That verdict could result in Clancy being committed to a mental health facility rather than serving a prison sentence, with the possibility of eventual release if she is determined to no longer pose a danger to herself or others.
During the 22-day trial, jurors heard from more than 70 prosecution witnesses and 10 defense witnesses.
Clancy and her defense team argued that she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and had repeatedly sought help for her mental health struggles. The defense did not dispute that Clancy killed her children but argued that the former labor and delivery nurse was not criminally responsible for their deaths because of her mental state at the time.
