The sole juror who refused to acquit Lindsay Clancy over the deaths of her three children said the backlash to his decision became so intense that his family needed a police escort to return home from work.
Michael Desronvil, 48, said his life changed “night and day” after Clancy’s murder trial ended in a mistrial in September. He said his family was subjected to a torrent of harassment and abuse.
“(The police) had to escort my fiance in and out of the house,” Desronvil told Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany in his first sit-down interview.
Desronvil said the experience left him “scared,” but he defended his decision to vote guilty in Clancy’s case, even though it triggered a mistrial and caused major upheaval in his life.
He said he believed Clancy should be convicted because of what he described as the “methodical” manner in which she killed her three children at their Massachusetts home in January 2023. Desronvil characterized the killings as an “execution.”
“From watching the video and listening in the courtroom, the thought process that goes behind – and to fulfill the commitment of doing that – I thought it was logical,” Desronvil said.
The holdout juror also faced accusations from Clancy’s attorney that he had lied to the court about previous domestic violence allegations. Desronvil rejected that claim, saying in the interview that he had “told the truth” about his past.
Michael Desronvil, 48, the lone holdout juror who refused to acquit Lindsay Clancy in the murders of her children, said the backlash over his decision became so severe that his family needed a police escort to get home from work
Desronvil said a 2021 domestic violence arrest, which was later dropped, stemmed from an incident between him and his ex-wife that had been “blown out of proportion.”
He maintained that he had not lied on the court questionnaire about his legal history, adding that the incident involved “no physical or mental abuse.”
Although jurors can generally expect to remain anonymous after a trial, Desronvil said he learned that his identity had been made public within a day of the controversial conclusion of the case.
“The following day, there was media at my door,” he said. Desronvil also said people had searched through his mail and trash and had trespassed on his property several times.
Desronvil said the evidence presented at trial amounted to a substantial case against Clancy. However, he said the part of the proceedings that continues to haunt him is the 911 call made after the killings.
The call was placed by Clancy’s husband, Patrick, after he discovered the bodies of the children at their Massachusetts home in January 2023.
“It was surreal,” Desronvil said of the recording. “Hearing the pain in his voice, hearing the desperation, from that clip.”
Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial over a hung jury last month. Desronvil, 48, was the only juror who did not vote to acquit the mother of three
Clancy’s legal team recently argued that prosecutors had failed to prove she was criminally responsible for the deaths of five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan
Desronvil’s refusal to acquit Clancy divided public opinion. In his interview, however, he said he was convinced of her guilt because of “how methodical (she) was in the execution of the children.”
Clancy admitted to killing her three young children in January 2023 by strangling them with exercise bands.
However, she pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, claiming that she was overmedicated by doctors and suffering from postpartum psychosis.
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Eleven of the 12 jurors said Clancy was not criminally responsible, except for Desronvil.
Desronvil also said his decision to vote guilty caused ‘tense’ moments as he deliberated with the other jurors for seven days. The full interview will be released on Thursday.
He added that he had ‘a lot of evidence to back up [his] claim,’ but declined to discuss specifics ‘out of respect for the other jurors and the court system.’
In his first television interview with McEnany, Desronvil also visited a park in Massachusetts that had been named after Clancy’s children, Cora, Dawson and Callan.
When pressed over his refusal to acquit Clancy, the holdout juror said he believed the mother was ‘methodical’ in her ‘execution of the children’
A Massachusetts judge rejected the request to declare Clancy not guilty of her kids’ murder and asked her lawyers to be ready to discuss a retrial at a hearing scheduled for November 2
The holdout juror said he was touched by the case because he has a daughter, and he said seeing the three young children in the evidence made him ’emotional.’
‘You can see the innocence, the pure joy in them, it’s hard to just take that away,’ he said.
In the aftermath of Clancy’s trial, several of Desronvil’s fellow jurors came forward to criticize the holdout juror for his decision not to acquit the killer mom.
Several jurors claimed that Desronvil admitted he had reasonable doubt about Clancy’s guilt despite voting to convict her, leading to a legal fight from Clancy’s team to boot him off the jury at the last moment for ‘refusing to follow court rules.’
Desronvil denied this, and he when asked in his first interview this week if he ever had reasonable doubt, he bluntly replied: ‘No.’
Earlier this month, Clancy was hauled back into court for a hearing as prosecutors weigh whether to put her back on trial for the murders of her children.
On October 1, Judge William Sullivan rejected a request by Clancy’s lawyers to declare her not guilty of murder, rejecting an attempt to throw out a potential second trial under ‘double jeopardy’ rules.
Her legal team argued that prosecutors had not proven that she was criminally responsible for the deaths of five–year–old Cora, three–year–old Dawson and eight–month–old Callan.
Sullivan said prosecutors had presented enough evidence for jury to find Clancy criminally responsible of strangling her children to death.
The judge said both parties should be ready to discuss a retrial at a hearing held on November 2.
Desronvil released a statement on Clancy’s case the same day that she returned to court, urging the public to focus on the ‘three angels’ that she killed instead of the media coverage of her trial.
Clancy was charged with murder after strangling her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan in 2023
‘I know the whole focus has been on me but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the three angels, the ones that cannot speak for themselves, the ones that can’t defend themselves, and the ones that cannot fight the battles. And those are Cora, Dawson and Callan,’ Desronvil said.
He proceeded to ‘thank God for blessing me with the ability to love my daughter,’ and share his gratitude for those that have supported him.
‘Your prayers, your emotional support, your psychological support, is tremendous to my heart that I feel, that I sense, that I know,’ Desronvil said. ‘I do want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.’
Clancy would have been committed to a state psychiatric hospital for evaluation if found not guilty by reason of insanity.
She would have her commitment regularly reviewed by the court.
