A 'Positive' for Clancy as Closing Arguments Begin

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy case are free to consider a lesser option to murder. A Massachusetts judge ruled Wednesday that jurors may consider a manslaughter verdict, along with first- and second-degree murder, when they begin deliberations as soon as Thursday in the deaths of Clancy's three young children. Her lawyer called the move "a positive development," per the New York Times, and one legal expert said such an option often gives jurors "a middle ground" that can help avoid a deadlock.

Clancy, 36, admits strangling Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, with exercise bands at their Duxbury home in January 2023, but argues she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and shouldn't be held criminally responsible. The defense has presented evidence that Clancy, who tried to take her own life, had been struggling for months. A first-degree murder conviction would mean life without parole; an acquittal would likely send her to a secure psychiatric facility. She's receiving mental health treatment at Tewksbury Hospital in the meantime, per USA Today. Closing arguments are scheduled for 9am ET Thursday.