Clancy Courtroom Clown Show
There are times when the American justice system is a joke.
The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy is a prime example.
The Massachusetts woman who strangled her three children and is trying to get off by claiming she was insane during the slayings, gets piles of fan mail every day. A mob of pink-clad fangirls greet Clancy outside the courtroom. The child killer’s supporters pose for selfies with her lawyer. They make stupid little hearts with their hands. They blame psych drugs for Clancy’s behavior yet none of them are calling for the drugs to be banned. Their own kids are probably loaded with them.
Mental illness is an explanation, not an excuse.
Oh, and it’s worth remembering that psychiatry isn’t on trial in Massachusetts, Lindsay Clancy is.
Sick. All of it.
It’s a pity Clancy didn’t kill three puppies. She’d get no sympathy then. But kids? Hey, they’re so damned exasperating at times.
Now we learn that after 37 hours of deliberation, the jury is deadlocked.
Is anyone surprised? Most of us have been predicting a hung jury since Day One.
The split is reportedly 11 to 1. Despite days of what is probably relentless bullying by the majority, one juror is holding out on the other side. Whichever side that may be.
Defense Attorney Kevin Reddington, who acts as if he knows which way the jury is stacked, demanded that the recalcitrant juror be removed on Thursday.
This almost amounts to jury intimidation. How dare a juror not bend to the majority, which Reddington apparently believes favors his client. This lawyer is definitely mounting a public pressure campaign as he attempts to save a triple murderer. He’s putting a target on the back of this one juror. It’s unethical to single out a juror who hasn’t engaged in misconduct, but who simply won’t go along with the mob.
The judge, wisely, refused Reddington’s request.
Those cult members outside of the courtroom are dangerous. The lone juror is courageous not to simply give in out of fear. I hope he or she stays strong.
That isn’t how any of this is supposed to work. When jurors can’t reach a unanimous decision, judges will often direct them to give it another shot. When that fails, it’s a mistrial.
End the courtroom clown show, Judge.
Today.
Don’t let the bullies on the jury browbeat the lone holdout for one more minute by sending them back to deliberate again. And when you dismiss the jury for the final time, tell them they’d better not identify that lone juror or you’ll hold them in contempt of court. That includes the lawyers.
