A Massachusetts judge ruled Wednesday that the lone juror who favored convicting Lindsay Clancy of murdering her three children will not have to surrender his phone for examination or submit to questioning by Clancy’s defense attorney.
Judge William Sullivan rejected a motion from Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, seeking an evidentiary hearing.
Sullivan wrote that the information potentially supporting the juror’s removal—identified in court filings as Juror Doe and understood to be Michael Desronvil—surfaced only after the mistrial had been declared. Under legal precedent, he said, that timing makes the evidence irrelevant.
Michael P. Desronvil, the juror whose refusal to join the other 11 led to a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. (Fugitive TV)
The defense did not claim before the mistrial that Juror Doe had provided false information on his jury questionnaire, Sullivan wrote. That allegation emerged later through media reports.
“Because post-trial information potentially affecting Juror Doe’s impartiality cannot be used to challenge the finding that a mistrial was manifestly necessary, Clancy is not entitled to an evidentiary hearing on that issue,” Sullivan ruled. He also noted that Reddington did not raise the possibility of improper cellphone use by Juror Doe until after the mistrial.
Lindsay Clancy and Kevin Reddington listen to Judge Sullivan ask the jury to continue deliberations during Clancy’s murder trial on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Sullivan said any additional investigation into the holdout juror would be improper because courts are barred from examining a juror’s subjective reasoning, thought process, view of the case or relationship with fellow jurors. The court also cannot probe the jury’s deliberative content, collective reasoning or internal disagreements, he wrote.
In an interview with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany last week, Desronvil said he remains firm in his decision not to join the other 11 jurors, who wanted Clancy found not criminally responsible because of postpartum psychosis.
Lindsay Clancy looks at jurors as Judge Sullivan asks them to start deliberations for a sixth day during her murder trial on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Pool Photo by Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger)
Desronvil has begun referring to Clancy’s slain children as “The Three Angels.” They were Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months.
He has also denied lying under oath on his juror questionnaire. Desronvil said jurors used their cellphones only during breaks in deliberations, and rejected claims by other jurors that he dismissed reasonable doubts in the case.
Judge William Sullivan indicates he was going to declare a mistrial before changing course and giving Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney one hour to appeal, as the jury in the case has indicated that they are unable to reach a verdict on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Reddington has asked the court to preserve records from all 12 jurors and six alternates. The requested materials include jury questionnaires, surveillance footage from the courthouse hallway outside the deliberation room and cellphone sign-in sheets.
Callan, left, Dawson and Cora Clancy. The three children were killed at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023. (Lindsay Marie Clancy/Facebook)
However, he specifically sought an examination of Desronvil’s phone covering 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on each day of jury deliberations.
“Everybody had their cellphones and our cell phone was used when we had a break,” the holdout juror said. “So not during deliberation.”
Clancy is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 2.
