PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Jury selection in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is nearly complete, with just one more juror needed before opening statements can begin.
As of Thursday morning, 17 jurors had been selected after three days of jury selection and nearly 300 prospective jurors screened. The court is seeking 18 jurors total, including 12 deliberating jurors and six alternates.
If the final juror is chosen Thursday, opening statements could begin as soon as Friday.
Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her three young children at the family’s Duxbury home in January 2023. Prosecutors allege she used exercise bands to strangle the children. Her defense team argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, was overmedicated, and was not criminally responsible for her actions.
Boston criminal defense attorney Elyse Hershon told Boston 25 Morning News that she is somewhat surprised by the pace of jury selection.
“It is a little bit of a surprise,” Hershon said. “I think we were expecting potentially a week, maybe bleeding into next week. But these lawyers are very experienced. They know what they’re doing.”
The six alternate jurors were added at the request of the defense. Hershon said the move was a strategic decision given the length and emotionally difficult nature of the trial.
“Some jurors fall off of a trial due to emergencies or unforeseen circumstances,” Hershon explained. “Because so much is going into this trial and because it’s supposed to take so long, they increased the number from four alternates to six so that if a few people fall off, they’re still going to have enough to deliberate the verdict.”
During jury selection, prospective jurors have been questioned extensively about mental health issues, including postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, topics expected to play a central role in the trial.
Hershon said the questioning is critical because prosecutors and defense attorneys are looking for different types of jurors.
“The defense is looking for people that understand mental health illness, that maybe have suffered postpartum or other types of mental illness,” Hershon said. “The prosecution, on the other hand, is likely not looking for those types of people. They’re not looking for someone who can sympathize with the defendant.”
Meanwhile, Clancy’s former husband, Patrick Clancy, has filed a motion seeking to block public access to certain evidence, including 911 calls, photographs of the children, and crime scene images.
Hershon believes the judge could grant the request in part.
“There are child victims here, and there’s concern that their photos and very gruesome evidence are going to get out in the media,” she said. “It’s not going to prevent it from coming into trial or being shown to the jury, but I anticipate the judge will want to protect those children as much as possible.”
If opening statements begin Friday, Hershon expects prosecutors to focus heavily on the deaths of the children and argue that the killings were premeditated, while the defense is expected to center its case on Clancy’s mental state and claims of postpartum psychosis.
“I anticipate this is going to come down to expert testimony,” Hershon said.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Patrick Clancy is expected to be among the first witnesses called to testify once proceedings get underway.
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