Image source, ReutersByAna FaguyReporting fromMassachusetts Updated 1 hour agoLindsay Clancy's murder trial has gripped the American public for the last five weeks.
Momentos-chave no julgamento de Lindsay Clancy, a mãe acusada de matar seus três filhos. Publicado há 3 dias.
The 36-year-old former nurse killed her three small children in the basement of their family home in Massachusetts.
Acusada de três crimes de homicídio em primeira instância, ela não nega ter matado seus dois filhos e filha em 2023.
Mas o advogado dela sustenta que ela estava sofrendo de psicose pós-parto na época, e, portanto, não conseguia distinguir o certo do errado.
A acusação, por outro lado, argumenta que Clancy tomou uma decisão calculada e intencional de matá-los e sabia distinguir o certo do errado naquele momento.
On Monday morning, a jury of nine women and three men will continue to deliberate, with several options before them.
Not guilty / not guilty by reason of insanity.
This hinges on the postpartum psychosis defence - her legal team argued that Clancy hallucinated a voice after giving birth to her youngest child that told her to kill the children.
Testemunhas peritos informaram ao tribunal quão grave pode ser essa doença, e membros da família deram depoimento sobre o estado mental de Clancy.
Under Massachusetts law, there is no burden on Clancy to prove her mental illness and that she lacked criminal responsibility.
Em vez disso, cabe à acusação provar além de qualquer dúvida razoável que ela era criminalmente responsável quando matou seus filhos, disse a advogada de defesa criminal Elyse Hershon à BBC.
They can do this by either proving beyond reasonable doubt that she didn't suffer from a mental illness at the time or that, while she had a mental illness, she still controlled her actions and knew they were wrong.
A not guilty verdict would mean Clancy went free but that is considered highly unlikely. Much more likely is a not guilty by reason of insanity, which would result in Clancy being detained at a hospital.
O caso realmente se resume a onde ela vai cumprir o resto de sua vida; a defesa acha que deve ser uma instituição psiquiátrica, a acusação acha que deve ser em uma prisão estadual," disse Hershon.
Figure caption, Watch: What is postpartum psychosis and why is it central in the Lindsay Clancy trial.
This is the most serious potential outcome for Clancy - being found guilty of first-degree murder, which is the intentional and premeditated killing of another person.
No estado de Massachusetts, essa condenação traz uma sentença obrigatória de prisão perpétua sem possibilidade de liberdade condicional.
As Heather Cucolo, a New York Law School professor and expert in mental health law, put it to the BBC, Clancy would effectively need to be seen as "a monster in the jury's eyes" if they pick this outcome.
Jurors would have to find there was extreme atrocity or cruelty or premeditation or both to convict Clancy of this, and it would mean the prosecution had proven there were no mitigating factors.
Neste caso, doença mental ou defeito — como a lei descreve — pode ser um fator atenuante.
A promotora Jennifer Sprague afirmou, durante os argumentos finais, que não havia dúvida de que Clancy sofria de doença mental, mas que não era tão grave a ponto de ela não saber o certo do errado.
Expert witnesses for the prosecution cast doubt on whether Clancy actually heard the voice that she said ordered her to kill her children.
This is a catch-all for any murder that is not first-degree, under Massachusetts law.
Ele se aplica a homicídios ilícitos cometidos com malícia ou imprudência extrema, mas sem planejamento prévio.
For this verdict, the jurors may not be convinced that the actions leading up to the murder rose to the level of pre-planned [or] premeditated but that instead, Clancy consciously saw an opportunity to commit the killings at the specified time," Cucolo said.
In the case of second-degree murder, Clancy would also face a life sentence - but with the possibility of parole.
O júri recebeu mais uma opção quando o juiz permitiu que eles condenassem Clancy por homicídio culposo - anteriormente um ponto de discórdia entre a defesa e a acusação.
Manslaughter, which is defined as causing death by an unintentional, mistaken or neglectful act, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per count.
Intent is an important distinction between a verdict like manslaughter and the two murder verdicts, experts said.
The prosecution is not obligated to demonstrate that she intended to cause the children's deaths for there to be a manslaughter conviction, she added.
Jury deliberating in trial of Lindsay Clancy, US woman accused of killing her children.
Lindsay Clancy sofre 'command hallucination' quando matou crianças, diz o tribunal.
