Lindsay Clancy Juror Disputes Claims Over Verdict Deadlock

The lone juror who opposed finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity is speaking publicly for the first time, challenging fellow jurors’ claims that he acknowledged weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.

Michael P. Desronvil told NewsNation in a statement that he never wavered from his belief that prosecutors had proved Clancy understood what she was doing when she strangled her three young children in January 2023.

“I didn’t 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,” Desronvil said.

“Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she knew exactly what she was doing and planned,” he added.

His account conflicts with statements from other jurors, who said after the mistrial that Desronvil appeared to recognize the existence of reasonable doubt during deliberations but nevertheless refused to join the other 11 jurors in rejecting criminal responsibility on insanity grounds.

The jury reached an 11-1 deadlock, with Desronvil alone favoring a conviction instead of accepting Clancy’s insanity defense. Judge William Sullivan subsequently declared a mistrial.

Desronvil’s statement comes as Plymouth County prosecutors consider whether to retry Clancy. Her lawyers have also raised the possibility of resolving the case without another jury trial. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley previously told News Outlet that prosecutors must determine whether a future jury could unanimously reject Clancy’s insanity defense after the first panel failed to reach a verdict.

“The question is whether they could ever get a jury, particularly in Massachusetts, that would unanimously vote against this defendant,” Turley said. “For prosecutors, they have to weigh that, but they may find the alternative equally unappealing — to simply walk away and say, ‘There are three dead children here, but we just don’t think we could ever win this case.'”

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, acknowledged killing her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — but argued that severe mental illness left her not criminally responsible at the time. Prosecutors maintained that she planned the killings and understood that her actions were wrong.

Judge Sullivan has ordered the jurors’ identities and questionnaires sealed because of safety concerns following the high-profile mistrial. Clancy is scheduled to return to court Sept. 29 while prosecutors decide whether to seek a retrial.