The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled the state’s death penalty law unconstitutional in 1984. Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the 2023 deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. 27, and ended their second day Friday without a verdict.
The Lindsay Clancy murder trial is now with the jury, but the death penalty is not a possible punishment in the case. Massachusetts does not allow capital punishment in state courts. Jurors began deliberating Thursday, Aug. They are expected to return Monday.
Massachusetts Death Penalty Status Remains Unchanged Since 1984
Massachusetts has not reinstated the death penalty since 1984, when the Supreme Judicial Court invalidated the state’s capital punishment law. This decision was based on the court’s determination that the law conflicted with protections outlined in the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights.
The sentencing rules have exceptions for people who were under 21 when the crime happened, but Clancy was 36 in January 2023. A manslaughter conviction carries a lower sentence, with Massachusetts law allowing up to 20 years in state prison. Because it was prosecuted in federal court, the case of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is one example.
Federal cases are different. Federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty for certain crimes even when they happen in Massachusetts. If Clancy is found guilty of first-degree murder , the normal sentence for an adult is life in prison without parole. A second-degree murder conviction also carries a life sentence, but parole can become possible after the minimum period set by the court.
That means the death penalty is not an option for Lindsay Clancy if she is convicted in Plymouth Superior Court. The case is being handled under Massachusetts state law.
