Jury deliberating in trial of Lindsay Clancy, US woman accused of killing her children

Warning: This story contains distressing details and discussion of attempted suicide

The fate of US mother Lindsay Clancy is now in the hands of a Massachusetts jury, who must decide if she is guilty of first-degree murder - the intentional and premeditated killing of another person - in the deaths of her three children.

For five weeks, the trial has gripped the country as Clancy's lawyers have argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her children, who ranged in age from eight months to five years. Clancy does not deny killing her two sons and daughter.

The prosecution argued she made a calculated decision to intentionally murder them.

The jury could find Clancy guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of lesser charges, or not guilty.

The jury of nine women and three men completed their first day of deliberations on Thursday. They will return on Friday.

In the state of Massachusetts, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life in prison sentence without the possibility of parole.

The jury could instead find Clancy guilty of second-degree murder - committed with malice or extreme recklessness, but without prior planning - or involuntary manslaughter - causing death because of extreme carelessness. Those convictions, too, would lead to some prison time.