Starting Point editor Dave Beard here. If you’re like me, you probably thought the deadlocked jury in Lindsay Clancy’s murder case might stall — or at least pause — public interest in the story.
Today, however, that sounds increasingly unlikely.
But first, here’s what else is going on:
- Governor Maura Healey signed an order blocking new data centers in Massachusetts unless they have local approval.
- Three takeaways from the New Hampshire primary election.
- Boston’s Museum of African American History has laid off staff and cut back hours because of a financial crisis.
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TODAY’S STARTING POINT
Were you or someone you know a juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial? The Globe would like to talk to you.
Last week’s mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case brought an end to weeks of gut-wrenching testimony and contentious deliberations.
But while we wait for prosecutors to decide their next move, the case’s aftermath continues to reverberate across New England — and around the world.
The first jolt came yesterday morning, when Clancy’s lawyer used a TV interview to appeal directly to President Trump for a pardon.
Clancy’s ex-husband, Patrick, urged an end to “blatant and baseless falsehoods” being spread about him online — and threatened legal action for possible defamation.
Judge William Sullivan, meanwhile, sealed the names of the jurors for two weeks, citing “significant and divisive attention” focused on the case, including a person recently charged with recording jurors as they left court.
In a separate filing, the Globe asked the court to disclose more information about sidebar conversations and jury questioning, arguing for “the public’s presumptive right of access to judicial proceedings.”
Individual jurors, however, are free to speak publicly about the case and deliberations if they wish. And some of them are.
In an interview with NBC10, three jurors expressed frustration with a holdout juror who, they said, acknowledged he had “reasonable doubt” — the box to check for acquittal — but was unwilling to find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity.
What’s at stake
Clancy was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of her three children, ages 5, 3, and 8 months.
She has acknowledged killing the children, but argued she is not criminally responsible, citing postpartum psychosis.
It is unclear whether prosecutors will retry her. Clancy is currently in a state psychiatric hospital, and is expected to remain there while prosecutors decide what to do next. Some experts say she could remain under long-term psychiatric hospital care even if eventually found not guilty.
One thing is clear: We will be living with the twists and turns of this case for quite some time.
Ask: Submit your questions about the trial for a Q&A with Globe reporters on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Also: What a monumental waste this trial was, by Yvonne Abraham
🧩 5 Down: Forearm bone 🌦️ 81° Muggy
POINTS OF INTEREST
A 9/11 lesson in Washington: On 9/11, it was chaos then unity in the nation’s Capitol. Could Washington rise to the occasion again? Also, mark these 9/11 events in Mass. Also, Trump repeated a falsified account in which he claims a role on 9/11.
I’m busy: Several Senate Republicans in close races are skipping Trump’s political show in Dallas this week. They include Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s Dan Sullivan. Also, Maine’s Democratic Senate challenger, Troy Jackson, is counting on organized labor to help defeat Collins.
Yacht crimes: A Florida man has been charged with raping an employee aboard his yacht in waters off Nantucket. Plus, two boats, owned by a doctor who fled the law for 20 years, are to be sold as a rape lawsuit continues against him in Rhode Island.
Hacked! Everett City Hall and Springfield Public Schools will remain closed today after separate cyber security incidents.
1 in 7 residents: That’s the ratio of people in Massachusetts who are Latino. In an aging state, where half of all whites are 45 years old or over, only 27 percent of Latinos are — and many have a shockingly low level of wealth.
Dolly Parton: Mass. lawmakers move to honor the singer-songwriter with a “9 to 5 Day.”
Natalie Harp: New financial disclosures say Trump gifted his constant aide $45,000 in cash — a total that is about a third of her salary. Gifts to two other White House officials were also disclosed. (Washington Post)
Higher ed warning: These Mass. colleges’ finances are full of red flags. Their leaders seem reluctant to admit there’s a problem.
Secrecy, a canceled bid, and a lawsuit: Inside New Hampshire’s troubled I-95 service plaza project.
YOU’RE INVITED: Join us at the Future of Medicine summit on Sept. 15. As a Starting Point subscriber, you get 50 percent off with our exclusive promo code GLOBE50. Sign up here.
BESIDE THE POINT
🎥 Beyond ‘Dune’: Here are the 37 most anticipated fall movies, including one in which an older woman has bed-breaking sex with a gigantic picnic basket. More potato salad?
🏠 Home of the Week: In Marblehead, framed by broadleaf and yellow-cap hydrangeas, sits a charming 3-bedroom antique for $759,000.
🍞 Tradition! At Inna’s Kitchen, traditions revolve around challah. Also, where to get the best mochi in town.
💌 Love Letters: Is it the man’s job to buy a house first, then propose?
🛬 Airport wait times: Here are the US airports with the average longest and shortest wait times. (Business Insider)
📘 ‘Exit Party’: In this new novel by “Station Eleven” author Emily St. John Mandel, America has fallen apart, and so has the hottest party in LA. What’s a girl to do?
Thanks for reading Starting Point. Today’s soundtrack is “Why You’d Want to Live Here,” by Death Cab For Cutie.
This newsletter was edited by Curt Woodward and produced by Ryan Orlecki.
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Dave Beard can be reached at dave.beard@gmail.com. Follow him on X @dabeard.