Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

The court was reconvened just after 16:00 local time.

Judge William Sullivan thanked the jurors and announced deliberations for today were suspended.

The jury will reconvene on Thursday at 09:00 local time for a sixth day of discussion to see if they come to a decision on this closely-watched trial.

We are pausing our live coverage. You can read more about today's events in court here: Will Lindsay Clancy trial end in mistrial? Here are the jury's options

As the jury returned another note saying they are undecided on a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy case after five days of closed-door discussions, here's what we've seen outside the Plymouth County Superior Court.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

In criminal trials in the US the jury must reach a unanimous decision in order to convict the defendant.

The jury in the Clancy trial has been unable to meet this level of agreement.

This differs from in the UK where if the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict then the judge can allow them to reach a majority verdict.

Lindsay Clancy is on trial for the murder of her three children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan.

We learned about them at the beginning of trial, after their father, Patrick Clancy, was asked by the prosecution to describe his children.

“Cora was into princesses,” Patrick said, pausing to allow a deep exhale. “She had a lot of friends. She just liked taking care of people.”

“(Dawson) was into firefighters and trucks, and he liked Paw Patrol,” Patrick continued.

Of his infant son, Callan, he said, through deep breaths: “He was just a happy baby.”

Image source, Plymouth Superior Court

The Clancy trial contains details that people may find distressing.

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Image source, Pool via REUTERS

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Lindsay Clancy is a 36-year-old Massachusetts mother and former labour and delivery nurse who is on trial for the murder of her three young children in 2023.

Clancy is accused of strangling her kids - Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, who was eight months - with fitness bands in their Massachusetts home before jumping out of a second-floor window in January 2023.

The jump paralysed Clancy from the waist down and she has attended the trial in a wheelchair. She is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of assault and battery. Prosecutors allege she made a calculated decision to intentionally kill her children.

Lawyers for Clancy, who does not dispute carrying out the killings but has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, say she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time.

Throughout her murder trial, Clancy has been held at Tewksbury Hospital, a state-run public psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, about 20 miles (32km) from Boston.

Her trial, which began in July and which has been live streamed to the public, has stirred intense national interest as well as debate about postpartum depression and the mental health of new mothers.

Image source, Pool via REUTERS

One person was arrested outside court on Tuesday, the fourth day of jury deliberation.

State police identified the individual as Dawn Light, 56, of Sutton, Massachusetts.

Light was arraigned in court where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated intimidation of a juror.

The trial of Lindsay Clancy has drawn widespread attention to the Plymouth District Courthouse.

Light is accused of taking photos of jurors while parked in a restricted area. Her attorney told the court the case is a result of "a complete misunderstanding" arguing that Light was "trying to get a picture of Ms Clancy".

In court, Light is described as a retired nurse with no previous criminal record. The presiding judge ordered her released ahead of a pre-trial hearing in October. She is also ordered to stay away from jurors, witnesses, the courthouse and from releasing any photos she may have.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

When we came into court this morning, Judge Sullivan - who has overseen this case for the past six weeks - individually questioned all 18 jurors - the six alternates and 12 deliberating jurors.

We could not hear exactly what he said to each of them, but we presume he asked each of them about their ability to be fair and impartial. This is also known as "voir dire".

That came after a woman, accused of filming jurors on Tuesday outside the courthouse, was arrested for juror intimidation.

That woman, Dawn Light, pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against her. Her attorney called it a "complete misunderstanding ".

Read more about her here.

Image source, Getty Images

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

The jury deciding the outcome of the Lindsay Clancy case is made up of nine women and three men, across a range of ages.

A total of 18 jurors listened to weeks of testimony during the case.

After closing arguments wrapped, six jurors were selected at random to sit out of deliberations.

If the 12 members of the jury are still unable to reach a decision after Judge Sullivan has instructed them a second time to continue deliberations, he could then declare a mistrial.

This means the case will return to where it was before the trial and Clancy will continue to be held at a psychiatric hospital waiting for the criminal case to be resolved.

The Plymouth County district attorney, Timothy Cruz, would then get to decide whether to retry Clancy for first-degree murder, for a lesser charge, or choose to not retry the case at all, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports.

The charges could be dropped, or the prosecutors and defence could reach a plea agreement.

Any new trial would require a new jury.

Image source, Boston Globe via Getty Images

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

It was about six minutes after we got back from the court's lunch break when the running began.

All of us reporters sitting on the third floor of the courthouse rushed to get in line - though we didn't know for what.

As we entered the courtroom, we whispered to each other to try to figure out what was going on.

The jury then came back in the room as well, looks of exasperation on their faces.

The jurors have been here before, offering the same note to the judge about not being able to reach a verdict. Now we're all waiting to see what happens next.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

The jury in her trial, which has been deliberating since Thursday and which a short time ago has said once again that it had not been able to reach a unanimous decision, has the following options:

• Clancy could be found guilty of first-degree murder. In the state of Massachusetts, first-degree murder - the intentional and premeditated killing of another person - carries a mandatory life in prison sentence without the possibility of parole
• Clancy could be found guilty of a lesser charge including second-degree murder - committed with malice or extreme recklessness, but without prior planning - or manslaughter - unintentionally killing "by wanton and reckless conduct". In either of those instances she would face time behind bars
• If Clancy is found not guilty by reason of insanity she will not be set free. She'll go to a psychiatric hospital where her status will be periodically reviewed. She could remain in hospital for life

You can read more about the possible outcomes here: The jury's options in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial

After telling Judge William Sullivan they are still deadlocked, the jury was read a set of instructions before being sent off to continue their deliberations.

In Massachusetts, those instructions are known as the Tuey-Rodriguez charge - a special set of instructions that formally reminds the jury that they have a duty to come to a decision.

The name stems from a 1973 criminal case in the state but in other jurisdictions, a similar set of instructions is known by different names such as the Allen charge.

"You should consider that it is desirable that the case be decided," the instructions read by Judge Sullivan says.

"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 12 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."

Image source, Reuters

This isn't the first time in their deliberations that the jury has said they are deadlocked.

Yesterday, on the fourth day since they were handed the case, the jury came back to Judge Sullivan and said they could not reach a verdict.

The jury – comprised of nine women and three men – did not yet have a unanimous decision on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter.

“I know that this was a long trial. I know there were over 80 witnesses, there were over 300 exhibits,” Sullivan said. “But because of that I’m going to ask you to go back out.”

After Sullivan instructed the jury to continue deliberating, they later came back and asked to be excused early for the day, which he granted.

Kevin Reddington, Clancy’s lawyer, later said: “I don’t know that it’s a good sign, a bad sign or any sign.

“They’re working hard to try to come to a decision.”

In the courtroom, Lindsay Clancy watched on alongside her lawyer as the judge read the orders he has for the jurors, following their note saying they were still unable to reach a verdict.

The jury will now continue its deliberations with an aim to reaching a unanimous verdict.

Image source, Reuters

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

It was incredibly tense in the room just now. We weren't sure if we were going to hear a factual question, a verdict, or that once again the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict.

Some jurors were turned away from the media as the judge read his orders to keep deliberating. One juror closed her eyes as he once more read them the directions to come to a decision.

Clancy's defence attorney watched the jury as the judge read his instructions.

Jurors in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy have once again told the judge they are deadlocked.

"After much deliberation we are still unable to come to a unanimous decision," they told the judge in a note read in court.

Judge William Sullivan has told them to go back into private deliberations, reading to them the Tuey-Rodriguez instructions - directions given to jurors to encourage them to reach a unanimous verdict without forcing them to give up their beliefs.

Stay with us.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from court in Massachusetts

Image source, The Patriot Ledger/Reuters

Jurors in the trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts are deadlocked after three days of deliberations - but the judge has asked them to keep trying to reach a verdict.

Clancy is facing murder charges for killing her three children at their family home in 2023. If found guilty, she could face a mandatory life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.

Though Clancy admits to killing her kids, a jury must decide if she is guilty of premeditated murder. She has pleaded not guilty, and her lawyers argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time, and therefore could not distinguish right from wrong.

The jury, comprised of nine women and three men, began its deliberations last week after hearing weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses.

Earlier today, they sent Judge William Sullivan a note saying they were unable to make a unanimous decision - drawing audible gasps from the courtroom.

If the jurors continue to be deadlocked, the judge may take additional measures to push them to come to an agreement.

We are pausing our live coverage but you can read more of our reporting here.

Image source, Reuters

Kevin Reddington is Lindsay Clancy's lead attorney and has over 40 years of experience as a defence lawyer, according to his website.

The prosecutors, meanwhile, are Plymouth County Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham.

Sprague supervises all homicides that occur in Plymouth County and has tried 28 homicides, according to her LinkedIn profile. Buckingham, meanwhile, is chief of the Family Protection Unit at the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.

The lawyers are overseen by Judge William Sullivan, who graduated from the Boston College Law School and was a partner in a law firm before becoming a judge.

Image source, Reuters

Postpartum psychosis has become a key focus of the Clancy trial.

Her defence argues she was suffering from it when she killed her children, while prosecutors argue she acted deliberately.

Those who have just given birth can experience a range of psychiatric conditions, the most serious and life-threatening of which is postpartum psychosis.

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) defines postpartum psychosis as a rare, serious mental health illness that should be treated as a medical emergency.

Those who have it can experience mania and depression as well as psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and a disconnection from reality. In rare, severe cases, they may harm or kill themselves or other people.

In the US, a major barrier to awareness and treatment of postpartum psychosis is that it remains unclassified in American medicine's encyclopaedia of psychiatry.

Postpartum psychosis is very different from postpartum blues, sometimes referred to as the "baby blues", which affects around 85% of people who give birth and typically involves difficulty controlling emotions such as anxiety, sadness and anger, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Postpartum depression, meanwhile, is more serious than postpartum blues, with patients feeling many of the same symptoms but more intensely and for a longer period of time.

Read more about the conditions here.