
Lone holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy murder trial speaks out
Michael P Desronvil was sole juror to vote guilty, resulting in deadlocked jury and judge declaring a mistrial
The lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is speaking out, saying that he âÂÂdidnâÂÂt have any doubtsâ during the juryâÂÂs deliberations of the case which ended in a mistrial.
âÂÂI didnâÂÂt have any doubts. As I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation, I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence present,â the 48-year-old male juror, Michael P Desronvil, said in a statement to NewsNation on Thursday.
âÂÂBased on all the physical evidence, key witnesses and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she (Clancy) knew exactly what she was doing and planned,â he added.
DesronvilâÂÂs public statement follows widespread debate online over the controversial case about whether Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse who fatally strangled her three children in Massachusetts in 2023, should be held criminally responsible.
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges by reason of insanity, with her defense team arguing that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time.
The trial, which brought nationwide attention to systemic gaps in maternal mental health care, lasted nearly six weeks and culminated in a mistrial after nearly 40 hours of deliberation over seven days.
Several members of the 11-1 deadlocked jury, which comprised nine women and three men, have since publicly commented on the case.
Speaking to NBC10 earlier this month, Roni Carlson, the juryâÂÂs foreperson, said the single holdout juror âÂÂadmitted he had reasonable doubt, and I started filling out the forms, I was so excitedâÂÂ.
âÂÂThere were three forms I had to fill out and I started filling them out, I wrote my signature on each one, and then he said, âÂÂBut IâÂÂm still not going to say that sheâÂÂs not guilty by reason of insanity,âÂÂâ she added.
Another juror, Kellie Farina, said: âÂÂHe had the hardest time getting off the fact that Lindsay viciously killed her children ⦠Every one of us in the hours of our frustration would get up and walk the room because you just couldnâÂÂt sit anymore.âÂÂ
Meanwhile, juror Paula Devlin said: âÂÂHe was very arrogant,â adding: âÂÂHe really did not take anything that anybody said.âÂÂ
DesronvilâÂÂs lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, has publicly defended his client, describing Desronvil as an âÂÂAmerican hero and champion of justiceâ who will âÂÂnot be giving any interviews at this timeâÂÂ.
In a Friday statement on X, Paltzik said: âÂÂAny attempts to contact our Heroic Lone Holdout Juror will not be well-taken. Please respect his dignity, humanity, and privacy. Stay away from his home, stop calling him, and donâÂÂt even think about deciphering his location.âÂÂ
Since the mistrial, DesronvilâÂÂs personal legal issues have come to light, raising questions over the jury selection process.
Numerous outlets, including NBC10 and the Boston Globe, report that he has a past domestic violence charge from 2021 and an active civil restraining order for allegedly assaulting his nephew, and was facing eviction proceedings while deliberating the Clancy case.
Plymouth district attorney Timothy Cruz has not yet publicly stated whether he will retry Clancy while ClancyâÂÂs lawyer, Kevin Reddington, has said he will ask for the jury to be sequestered in a new trial.
Judge William F Sullivan has set a hearing for 29 September to determine next steps.
