By September 1, 2026, the jury in Lindsay Clancy’s trial reported they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Judge William Sullivan instructed them to continue. They deliberated until 3:30 p.m. and then adjourned for the day without resolving the case.
Hung Juries in Recent Massachusetts Trials
Several high-profile cases have recently involved hung juries. Noteworthy cases include Karen Read in 2024 and Emanuel Lopes in 2023 and 2024.
Emanuel Lopes faced charges for the 2018 murder of Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna. His 2023 trial resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury. A second trial in 2024 also experienced a deadlock but ultimately reached a unanimous guilty verdict after six days and 32 hours of deliberation.
In Karen Read’s 2024 trial, the jury deadlocked after 27 hours over five days, resulting in a mistrial. A second trial led to her acquittal a year later.
The Tuey-Rodriguez Instruction
The “dynamite” charge, known in Massachusetts as the “Tuey-Rodriguez” instruction, helps break jury deadlocks. This directive, originating from a 1973 case, permits judges to send juries back to deliberate when deadlocks occur.
The law allows juries a second chance to deliberate, with more opportunities possible if jurors need legal clarifications. When a jury reports a second deadlock, judges consult the involved attorneys and may read the Tuey-Rodriguez charge. This charge emphasizes the importance of reaching a decision and reiterates the jury’s duty to deliberate conscientiously.
You should consider that it is desirable that the case be decided. You should consider that you have been selected in the same manner, and from the same source, as any future jury would be. There is no reason to suppose that the case will ever be submitted to six persons who are more intelligent, more impartial, or more competent to decide it than you are, or that more or clearer evidence will be produced on one side or the other. With all this in mind, it is your duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously.
If a jury remains deadlocked after the third reading, judges may declare a mistrial. For Lindsay Clancy, this means she would stay “in custody” at Tewksbury State Hospital under psychiatric care. The Plymouth County district attorney, Timothy Cruz, would then decide whether to retry Clancy for first-degree murder, pursue lesser charges, or drop the case.