Post by @the.legal.np

DAY 14: THE PROSECUTION RESTS. Today was a major turning point in the Lindsay Clancy trial. The Commonwealth officially rested its case, and the defense began calling witnesses. We heard from Lindsay’s former coworker, her sister, her mother, and an emergency medicine expert who reviewed the severity of her injuries after the fall. But one of my biggest takeaways is what happens now. The Commonwealth rested its case-in-chief without calling its retained mental health experts. That does not mean they won’t testify later in rebuttal, and the Commonwealth does not need a psychiatric expert to prove criminal responsibility. But ultimately, once lack of criminal responsibility is sufficiently raised, the burden remains on the Commonwealth to prove criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt. Reddington also asked the judge for a required finding of not guilty and alternatively sought to reduce the murder charges. The judge denied the motion, and the case moves forward. Today felt like the line in the sand between two very different cases: we’ve heard the Commonwealth’s story. Now we hear the defense’s. And I have a feeling the most important mental-health testimony of this trial is still ahead. #lindsayclancy #legalnp #lindsayclancycase