Court officers confirmed the people shown in the videos were jurors in Clancy’s trial, prosecutors said
A Massachusetts woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly filming jurors outside the Lindsay Clancy trial, saying she was only trying to get a photo of the alleged murderer.
Dawn Light, 56, of Sutton, was arrested around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday outside Plymouth District Courthouse, where jurors were deliberating Clancy’s triple-murder case after telling the judge they were deadlocked, Massachusetts State Police confirmed to The Independent.
Prosecutors sought $50,000 cash bail, but Light was released on personal recognizance with conditions barring her from the courthouse, contact with Clancy trial jurors or witnesses, and sharing any photos or videos she took, NBC Boston reports.
“This is a complete misunderstanding, your honor,” Jennifer White, Light’s attorney, told Judge William Sullivan Wednesday, according to the outlet. “My client was seeking a picture of Ms. Clancy and had no interaction with the jurors.”
Clancy, a 36-year-old former nurse, is on trial for allegedly strangling her three young children in January 2023. Clancy has admitted killing the children but pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, with her defense arguing she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors argue Clancy knowingly planned the killings and understood her actions were wrong.
State police were called to the courthouse Tuesday after court officers reported that someone might be filming jurors in a parking lot, prosecutors said Wednesday. Officers allegedly found Light sitting in a blue Toyota parked in a restricted employee area behind the courthouse.
Light allegedly told them she was waiting to see if Clancy would leave the building and denied filming or photographing anyone in the parking lot. Police searched her phone and initially found no such images, but discovered videos of people leaving the courthouse in her deleted photos.
Court officers confirmed the people shown in the videos were jurors in Clancy’s trial, prosecutors said.
The judge had previously issued an order prohibiting the photographing or filming of jurors in the case. Prosecutors argued that Light’s actions threatened the integrity of the proceedings.
“Although she states she was looking for Lindsay Clancy to come out of the courthouse, it was clear she was filming the jurors,” Assistant District Attorney Nicole Piacentini said. “Court officers were able to determine she was filming the jurors. She was in clear violation of the order by Judge Sullivan in this case.”
Light’s attorney argued that her client had no criminal record, strong community ties and was not a flight risk. The judge ordered her not to disseminate any photos or videos she took and scheduled her next court appearance for October 15.
Light’s arrest comes hours after a 12-person jury, made up of nine women and three men, told the judge Tuesday morning that they were deadlocked after more than 17 hours of deliberations.
Sullivan instructed them to continue working toward a unanimous verdict. The jurors continued deliberating for several more hours before asking to be dismissed around 3:30 p.m., bringing their total deliberation time to about 23 hours over four days.
They were ordered to return Wednesday morning to resume deliberations.