Since When Did Self-Professed Serial Killers of Their Own Children Get Our Sympathy?
By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted on September 13, 2026
An Editorial Opinion
Three children were murdered in the Lindsay Clancy case. Yet, the focus today is on attacking the lone juror who voted to convict her on murder charges.
Clancy acknowledged strangling five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan, but argued that her postpartum psychosis meant she was not criminally responsible for the murders.
Eleven jurors ultimately favored a verdict of acquittal, while one man, identified by another juror as the panel’s only Black member, favored a conviction. The disagreement produced a mistrial and a backlash against the holdout juror.
The holdout juror was not an outlier. An entire team of investigators, mental health experts, and prosecutors viewed the evidence in Clancy's case just like he did.
Several jurors later accused the holdout juror of ignoring evidence and court instructions. However, no one has cited a single jury instruction he violated. Furthermore, he was entitled by law to give the defense's postpartum psychosis evidence whatever weight it deserved in his mind. He obviously rejected this defense, which was his prerogative.
Jurors reject criminal defenses a lot in murder cases. Remember, Karmelo Anthony's claim of self-defense in the 2025 murder of Austin Metcalf was rejected and he was convicted.
Revealing the juror's race and personal history was wrong for many reasons. It raised serious concerns about privacy, harassment, and whether jurors can safely disagree in controversial cases. It also injected the issue of whether White jurors believed their opinions on guilt or innocence carried more weight than Black jurors.
At the same time, a GoFundMe established for Clancy’s parents has raised about $1.2 million, with its goal increased to $3 million. It has not paid $3 million directly to Clancy.
Society can recognize postpartum psychosis, demand a fair legal process, and remember the victims simultaneously. What it should never do is turn justice into a popularity contest between White and Black jurors, which is happening now in the Clancy case.
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