The Lindsay Clancy murder trial descended into an extraordinary courtroom confrontation Thursday as a deadlocked jury was sent back to deliberate for a sixth day, prompting a legal expert to warn that Judge William Sullivan was entering “very dangerous territory.” Defense attorney Mark O’Mara, appearing on CNN Thursday, described the judge’s decision to bring jurors before the bench individually as “extraordinarily dangerous” and said Sullivan “needs to be extraordinarily careful.” O’Mara went further, describing the judge’s handling of the jury as potentially creating a “brand new procedural law” through the way he is dealing with the impasse. The comments came as the jury remained divided after more than 35 hours of deliberations in a trial that lasted roughly six weeks. The latest drama began when the 12 jurors sent Sullivan another note Thursday.
The precise contents of the note were not immediately made public, but it triggered a series of unusual proceedings. Sullivan brought the jurors into court one at a time and questioned them individually. Afterward, Clancy's defense attorney Kevin Reddington told the judge that one juror was preventing the panel from reaching a unanimous verdict.
That juror, Reddington said, “refuses to listen to the law” concerning reasonable doubt. Sullivan did not accept the characterization or take sides. The exchange was visibly tense.
Reddington appeared frustrated during a private discussion with Sullivan and prosecutors at the bench, at one point slamming papers down on the judge's bench before returning to the defense table. Clancy herself was brought forward to speak with the judge during the proceedings. Later, she bowed her head as Reddington comforted her.
The jury was sent back out to deliberate before Sullivan announced that he was sending them home for the day. The jury will return on Friday at 9 a.m. ET for further deliberations.
The jury's inability to reach a verdict has now become the defining feature of the case's final stage. The 12 jurors first reported that they were deadlocked Tuesday, after four days of deliberations. Sullivan allowed them to go home and return the following morning.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
