In calmer and simpler times the only trials I paid attention to were the ones that took place in Bedrock. The Flintstones did spend a disportionate amount of time in courtrooms considering they were a) cavemen and b) supposedly existing in a time long before even The Code of Hammurabi was written. But the show lived in prime time in an era when PERRY MASON was top-rated and 12 ANGRY MEN was still very much in the cultural zeitgeist.
So hence my childhood memories were perpetually imprinted with the plot line of the DISORDER IN THE COURT episode where Fred, somehow elected jury foreman, was the lone holdout in the trial of The Mangler, a menacing-looking serial criminal facing several charges of assault and battery as well as operating a motor vehicle without a rear license plate. In his own defense, The Mangler protested the latter charge–how was he to know there was no rear plate; it was a stolen car. Long story short, after much semi-comic pleading and cajoling, Fred eventually conceded to his peers’ wishes. The Mangler was incarcerated, only to escape and track him down to a hideaway mountain cabin. Just as he was about to live up to his name, The Mangler stepped on Bamm-Bamm’s toy train, went headfirst into a rock wall and Fred was hailed as a hero for “re-capturing” him. One has to wonder in later years how much poor Pebbles had to hear about her husband’s resentment for being overlooked.
But hey, at least that trial had closure. More than can be said for what happened–or didn’t–yesterday afternoon. As YAHOO! NEWS’ Mike Bebernes and = Kate Murphy teamed up tp report:
The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the former nurse whose defense argued that postpartum psychosis caused her to kill her young children, ended in a mistrial on Friday after the jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether she bears criminal responsibility for her actions… At issue was the conduct of a single juror, who had been identified in a note from the jury as refusing to apply the legal standard of reasonable doubt to their decision. Clancy’s defense argued the juror’s conduct was grounds for the higher court to issue a stay to prevent the mistrial decision from being finalized. Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt ultimately denied the defense’s petition, allowing Sullivan to formally end the trial and dismiss the jury.
I can’t say I was as invested in this as so many others came to be as Clancy’s saga unfolded, bringing a necessary scrutiny and light into the concept of post-partum psychosis. Many of you are likely more familiar than I am with the complicated specifics of exactly what it is and how it may have pushed a seemingly normal young mother to commit murder. PEOPLE’s Selena Barrientos and Skyler Trepel did an outstanding job recapping it all; peruse or refresh as you see fit. What I do know is that Clancy captured an increasing amount of the country’s attention in a few outside the Beltway are capable of of late. It has all the elements that make a successful Lifetime movie and, these days, probably an even more popular companion podcast.
I’m pretty sure that the lone wolf juror that denied this the closure that everyone invested deserved–and yes, I’m including Lindsay Clancy on that list–was astute enough to be ware of the degree of scrutiny and attention this trial was receiving. Blackouts and sequestering can only insulate people so much. I’ve dealt directly with people who were involved with trials far less significant than this one who would after a drink or two confess some detail about the proceedings with a pleading “you can’t share this with ANYONE!!!!” And anyone who has watched a minute of the O.J. Simpson trial–the actual event or the well-watched AMERICAN CRIME STORY revisiting–has at least an inkling of the potential windfall down the road of anyone involved with it. So imagine how much greater the haul could be for the one person responsible for extending this shelf life.
Per CBS NEWS’ Kerry Breen, what lies ahead is the very definition of insanity, Clancy’s diagnosis notwithstanding:
(T)he conditions for the defendant go back to what they were pretrial, CBS News Boston reported. That means Clancy will remain in custody and under psychiatric care at Tewksbury State Hospital, where she has been held since 2023… Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz will decide if Clancy will be retried for first-degree murder or a lesser charge with a new jury, or possibly consider a plea deal. Cruz could also decide not to retry the case. In a news conference outside court following the mistrial, Cruz said he would not be announcing those plans immediately. “I’m going to be meeting with our team, and we will address this case further at the appropriate time in the context of an official court proceeding,” he said.
This sort of perpetual indecisiveness triggers me on other levels above and beyond this particular trial itself. I still have sleepless nights about the lack of closure that I continue to deal with that one simple conversation–in fact, one simple word–would finally bring an end to my own internal suffering. So I guess between that and my childhood nightmares about The Mangler, I’ve got more issues than I should about all of this.
So I’d like to put that juror on trial–if not in an actual courtroom, then certainly in the court of public opinion. What was the bridge that you alone determined was too far for YOU to cross? Was your motivation religious? Related to a personal history you may not have not fully discosed upfront? Or did you at some point cut a deal with some maverick media outlet–maybe one that couldn’t stomach the fact that so many “snowflake libtards” were somehow elevating Lindsay to the level of sainthood that, say, Luigi Mangione already was? I honestly don’t put anything past them these days–and I almost couldn’t blame you if you felt even a shred of temptation.
So after a summer where people actually willingly slipped away from the Cape or turned their attention away from the surging Red Sox to focus on this, in the end we get no closure at all. Just the prospect of a rerun.
On the other hand, reruns over time helped me get over my own fear of The Mangler. So I hope that juror who now will be watching Round Two just like the rest of us gets that comfort. More than any I’ll be likely to get at any point.
Until next time…