← Latest briefing

US News

Woman charged with juror intimidation outside Lindsay Clancy murder trial

A Massachusetts judge individually questioned jurors and allowed deliberations to resume after a supporter was accused of recording them outside the courthouse.

The short version

  • Dawn Light, 56, was arrested and charged with juror intimidation after prosecutors alleged she recorded or photographed jurors outside the Plymouth courthouse during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.
  • Judge William Sullivan questioned jurors individually regarding the incident before permitting deliberations to resume for a fifth day.
  • Light pleaded not guilty and was released without bail under orders to stay away from the court, jurors, and witnesses, with her attorney calling the incident a misunderstanding.

Key facts

  • Dawn Light of Sutton, Massachusetts, was arraigned on charges including intimidation of a juror after allegedly sitting in a restricted area outside the Plymouth courthouse and recording jurors as they left.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Prosecutors stated that Massachusetts State Police discovered media files of jurors in the deleted folder of Light's phone after she initially denied recording them.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Light entered a not guilty plea, and her defense attorney asserted the situation was a misunderstanding and that Light was solely attempting to photograph Clancy.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • The judge rejected a prosecution request for $50,000 cash bail and released Light with orders to stay away from the courthouse, jurors, and witnesses, and to not distribute relevant imagery.[The Guardian · BBC News]
  • Deliberations in the Clancy trial resumed for a fifth day after the presiding judge questioned each juror individually about the event.[The Guardian]
  • Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility to charges that she strangled her three children in 2023, citing postpartum psychosis.[The Guardian · BBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The Clancy jury had previously reported an inability to reach a unanimous verdict, leaving it unknown whether they will reach a decision after being instructed by the judge to continue deliberating.[The Guardian]

Sources