The woman arrested outside the courthouse where jurors are weighing the case of Lindsay Clancy has been identified as Dawn Light, a self-described “true crime junkie” who said she was trying to record the accused killer mother as she left the building.
Light, 56, of Sutton, was arrested outside Plymouth District Court at about 3:40 p.m. Tuesday and charged with intimidation of a witness, jurors or a person providing information in connection with criminal proceedings, Massachusetts State Police said.
She returned to the same courthouse Wednesday for her own arraignment, while the jury continued deliberating Clancy’s fate.
During the hearing, Light was formally charged with aggravated intimidation, and prosecutors requested that bail be set at $50,000 cash.
Prosecutors said state police discovered Light inside her car in a restricted section of the parking lot. When questioned, she allegedly denied that she had been filming or taking photographs.
However, police said when they confiscated Light’s phone they found a file containing a video of the jurors leaving the courthouse in the deleted folder.
‘Court officers were able to confirm she was filming the jurors,’ the prosecutor said.
Light pleaded not guilty and her defense attorney argued she was not intending to get pictures of the jury.
Dawn Light, 56, was arrested outside the Lindsay Clancy courthouse and charged with intimidation
Light insisted she was trying to get a photo of Clancy, but police confirmed she has a video of the jury in a deleted folder on her phone
‘This is a complete misunderstanding – [she] was seeking a picture of Ms Clancy,’ the lawyer said.
The judge ruled she will not be held on bail, but ordered her to stay away from the courthouse, the jury and any witnesses, as well as instructed her to not share any photos or videos related to the incident.
She is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on October 15.
As she left the courthouse on Wednesday, Light was swarmed by the media.
She was very defensive, claiming she wanted to see Clancy and wasn’t filming the jury.
When asked why she was filming, she said ‘I wasn’t.’ Then she said, ‘I just wanted to see Lindsay.’
At one point she said, ‘Leave me alone.’
Light, who described herself as a ‘true crime junkie,’ has insisted she was not trying to intimidate anyone, but only wanted to film Clancy as she left the courthouse.
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Light appeared in that same courthouse for her own arraignment hearing on Wednesday as the jury continues to deliberate Clancy’s fate
‘That’s the long and the short of it. I don’t know how I intimidated anyone,’ Light told CT Insider.
She claimed that when she realized she was not filming Clancy, she quickly lowered her phone and then was approached by a court employee.
According to Light, the employee asked her if she worked at the courthouse, and when she said no, the staffer as for her driver’s license and phone.
When she refused to hand over her phone, the employee called over a state trooper who confiscated the device and arrested her.
Light told the newspaper that she has attended several days of Clancy’s trial, as well as other high-profile cases such as Karen Read and Alex Murdaugh’s trial.
Light’s arrest came on the same day that the Clancy jury told the judge they were at a standstill.
Tuesday morning, the panel of 12, nine women and three men, told Judge William Sullivan they could not reach a unanimous verdict, but he ordered them to keep deliberating.
‘Members of the jury, I’ve got your question, and the question is, “After many hours of deliberation we are unable to come to a unanimous decision,”‘ Sullivan said.
Light, who described herself as a ‘true crime junkie,’ has insisted she was not trying to intimidate anyone, but only wanted to film Clancy as she left the courthouse
Light’s arrest came on the same day that the Clancy jury told Judge William Sullivan they were at a standstill
The panel of 12, nine women and three men, must reach a unanimous decision on whether Clancy is guilty of murder, manslaughter or not criminally responsible for her actions
He acknowledged the length of the trial, but ordered the jury to continue deliberations and sent them back.
At the end of the day, the jury asked to be excused, and the judge agreed.
The jury must reach a unanimous decision on whether Clancy is guilty of murder, manslaughter or not criminally responsible for her actions.
If the jury cannot reach a verdict, the judge will eventually be forced to declare a mistrial.
The group has not been sequestered during discussions.
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