What happens in Lindsay Clancy trial next explained as jury fails to reach verdict again

What happens in Lindsay Clancy trial next explained as jury fails to reach verdict again The trial of Lindsay Clancy, accused of murdering three of her children, has seen the jury force into a sixth fay of deliberations but what could happen next? The jury in the case of a mother accused of killing her three children have failed to reach a unanimous verdict for the second time. Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with murder of the 2023 deaths of her children: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. The former labour and delivery nurse, from Massachusetts, has not denied that she killed her kids but argued that postpartum psychosis led to her actions. The case has gripped the US as the topics of mental health and pregnancy are debated across the country following the livestreamed trial. The jury in this case has deliberated for five days and still with no unanimous decision they were told by the judge to go back and try reach a decision again. Clancy pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility but prosecutors argue she knew what she was doing. The 36-year-old had been at home on maternity leave when her then-husband Patrick Clancy went to run errands and pick up dinner, on January 24, 2023. When Patrick returned to their home, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, he found his three kids dead in the basement and his then-wife in their garden and injured from a suicide attempt. The jury will now reconvene on Thursday at 9am local time (2pm UK time) for a sixth day of deliberations. Below we've looked at what could happen and what the potential outcomes of the trial could be. Not guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity Clancy's defence argued throughout the trial that postpartum psychosis led to her actions. Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby, according to the NHS. Symptoms of this serious condition include hallucinations, delusions, mania, low mood and confusion. Massachusetts law does not put the burden on Clancy to prove her mental illness or that she lacked criminal responsibility. It is instead on the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the mum was criminally responsible. If a not guilty verdict is returned then Clancy could go free. A not guilty by reason of insanity verdict however could lead to the 36-year-old being detained in a hospital, according to the BBC. Guilty of first-degree murder Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of assault and battery. First-degree murder, the intentional and premeditated killing of a person, is the most severe outcome that could come out of the trial. In Massachusetts, this verdict results in a life in prison sentence, without the possibility of parole. Mistrial If the jury still cannot reach a unanimous verdict then a mistrial would be declared and the case would essentially go back to the same status as before the trial. The 36-year-old has been held at a psychiatric hospital since she was arrested back in 2023. Criminal trials in the US must have the jury reach a unanimous decision to convict the defendant. This is different to the UK where a judge can allow a jury to reach a majority verdict if a unanimous one is not achieved. Clancy could go back on trial If there is a mistrial, prosecutors would have to decide whether they want to try again with a new jury. If they do, the jury selection process would begin again and a new trial would be scheduled. A plea deal could also be offered to Clancy, according to Brad Bailey, a Boston defence attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case. He said: "Any time the threat of a retrial with murder one hanging over the client is re-interjected, defence lawyers will, at the very least, explore whether or not there’s any interest in a resolution." The district attorney's office however could decide to not retry the case. Bailey said: "Sometimes they decide not to, because of the sense that there may be the same result each time they try it, and because of the expenditures involved in trying the case to begin with, particularly when you have expert witnesses."