Female Jurors Seethe as Lone Holdout Blocks Lindsay Clancy Acquittal

Tension reportedly filled a Massachusetts courtroom after a single juror prevented the panel from reaching a unanimous verdict in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.

Clancy was accused of killing her three young children, but after several days of deliberations, 11 jurors reportedly agreed on a verdict while one remained firmly opposed.

CNN correspondent Jean Casarez, reporting Friday from Plymouth, Massachusetts, described the extraordinary scene that unfolded as the judge addressed the deadlocked panel.

“I can tell you from our producer in the courtroom that when the judge said ‘I want to tell you all how proud I am of you,’ there was one female juror that was nodding her head ‘No’ as he was saying all that,” Casarez said.

That juror was apparently not alone in displaying frustration. Several other members of the panel reportedly reacted with visible anger, disappointment, or emotional exhaustion as the weeks-long trial ended without a resolution.

“Another female juror, clenching her hands into fists as she was sitting on that chair,” she continued.

“All of the jurors were extremely tense,” Casarez said.

“One female juror would not even open her eyes. Her eyes were gazed down in her lap. Her eyes were closed as the judge continued to talk to them about what this final decision was.”

“Another juror just nodded her head the entire time he was talking,” Casarez added, “and another female juror was pursing her lips.”

Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, did not conceal his fury over the outcome. Speaking outside the courthouse, he accused the lone holdout of denying the other jurors the opportunity to deliver the verdict they believed was justified, according to PBS.

“They know they were robbed by one man, for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors that were so attentive, so beautiful, so wonderful,” he said outside the courtroom.

“You could see how defeated they were sitting there,” he added.

“I got a funny feeling they would have gone on for another week if they had to. So I hope that guy can sleep well at night.”

Reddington maintained that the evidence warranted a verdict in his client’s favor.

“She deserved an acquittal,” her lawyer added.

The attorney’s unusually personal attachment to Clancy was also evident when he said that “she’s like a daughter to me.”

The mistrial leaves the deeply disturbing case unresolved and prosecutors facing a consequential decision over whether to put Clancy on trial again. For now, a single juror’s refusal to join the other 11 has ensured there will be no acquittal—and no final measure of accountability—from this jury.