Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in Friday on the fallout from the Lindsay Clancy trial, saying he would offer “asylum” to the lone juror who refused to support a not-guilty finding by reason of mental disease or defect after a media report highlighted past accusations against the man.
The juror, whose identity has not been publicly confirmed, was the only member of the panel to dissent after jurors reportedly split 11-1 on whether Clancy should be found not guilty because of mental illness. NBC10 Boston later published a report detailing allegations from the man’s past, including claims tied to domestic violence.
DeSantis criticized the NBC10 Boston story as an effort to tarnish the juror’s reputation. Other members of the jury have described the holdout as a Black man in his 30s, though he has not come forward publicly.
“A man objected to allowing a woman to kill her three young kids and get away with it, so NBC is trying to smear that juror, whose identity should be protected. Another low for legacy media,” DeSantis wrote on X, responding to the report.
“If the juror is being harassed, Florida will provide asylum — I’m sure he’d be welcomed and appreciated.”
According to NBC10 Boston, the juror was accused of assaulting his wife in September 2021. The outlet also reported that his nephew obtained a restraining order against him last year, and that he is currently facing an eviction case filed by his landlord over an alleged $12,000 in unpaid rent.
Court records cited by NBC10 show the man later divorced his wife following the 2021 alleged incident, and that the criminal charge connected to the case was dismissed. His ex-wife told the station she stopped pursuing the matter because she feared that testifying could jeopardize custody of her daughter.
NBC10 also noted that Massachusetts juror questionnaires ask potential jurors whether they have ever been arrested, charged with a crime, or served with a court order — questions the station reported should have been answered “yes” by the holdout juror.
The NBC10 report landed as fellow jurors in the Clancy case began speaking publicly about deliberations and the role of the lone dissenting juror.
Juror Paula Devlin told Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” Friday that the holdout was a Black man and the only person of color seated on the jury.
Another juror, Nick Dargie, told ABC News that he believed the holdout was disengaged during deliberations and did not clearly explain his position.
“There wasn’t a single piece of evidence or witness testimony that he used to prove why he was thinking the way he was,” Dargie said.
Dargie also alleged that the lone holdout wrapped one of the exercise bands Clancy used to kill her children– Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months– around a water bottle to mimic their strangulation in the deliberation room.
“I was so shocked. We’re not here to play detective – it’s not a game of Clue. This is serious,” said Dargie.
“I asked him why are you doing that? That’s a band that was used to strangle a child. That’s disgusting.”
NBC10 did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
