Karen Read's former attorney comments on Lindsay Clancy's defense as jury deliberations continue

<p>One of Karen Read’s former defense attorneys, David Yannetti, praised Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer for his work as jurors approached the end of a sixth day of deliberations, having informed the judge twice that they could not reach a unanimous verdict.</p><p>"It immediately brings back the stress and the pressure that comes from having somebody's life in your hands and the very worst part of a trial, which is when the jury's out," Yannetti stated. He was a key member of Read's defense team during both of her murder trials in Massachusetts. "So I feel for Kevin now, as I feel any lawyer in that situation, but he appears to be confident."</p><p>Yannetti noted that both cases are unusual as they involve professional women with no prior court involvement or criminal records, both of whom have received significant public support.</p><p>"I think by all accounts, he did a wonderful job with this case, defending this woman in what is a horrific set of facts," he told Fox News Digital. "I think Kevin has succeeded to a large degree already."</p><p>Clancy faces three counts of murder in the deaths of her children: Cora, age 5; Dawson, age 3; and Callan, who was 8 months old. The jury could find her guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder, manslaughter, or not criminally responsible under her insanity defense.</p><p>Judge William Sullivan, presiding over the Clancy trial, explained the prosecution's burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt after receiving a new note from the jury on Thursday afternoon. He then sent jurors back to continue deliberating.</p><p>With jurors out of the courtroom, Clancy's attorney made a request to the judge for the removal of a juror who was allegedly a holdout, as claimed by another juror. Sullivan rejected this request.</p><p>Retired Massachusetts Judge Carol Erskine, who is not involved with the case, commented that "refusing to deliberate and refusing to agree are not the same thing," and emphasized that judges must be cautious not to interfere with deliberations.</p><p>The court recessed for the day shortly after 4 p.m., with jurors scheduled to return Friday morning for their seventh day of deliberations.</p><p>Yannetti described the wait as "torture," stating that trial attorneys prefer to be in control, but once the jurors are out, they can only observe and wait.</p><p>Read's first trial concluded with a deadlocked jury after five days in 2024, and she was acquitted of all homicide-related charges after her second trial last year, which lasted four days of deliberation.</p>