Lindsay Clancy Judge Rejects Investigation Into Juror Who Refused to Acquit Her

The lone holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder trial is once again at the center of controversy. Judge William Sullivan has rejected the defense’s attempt to investigate the man whose refusal to acquit contributed to the high-profile mistrial.

In a ruling Wednesday, October 21, Plymouth Superior Court Judge Sullivan specifically denied Clancy’s request for an evidentiary hearing into the conduct of the holdout juror, Michael Desronvil. The defense had pressed the court to investigate whether Desronvil was truthful during jury selection and whether he was willing to follow the judge’s instructions on reasonable doubt.

The request followed a controversial September 11 investigation by NBC10 Boston, which revealed that Desronvil had previously been arrested, though the charge was later dismissed. The findings prompted some to question whether Desronvil had disclosed his legal history during jury selection; the lone juror has since done several interviews indicating he was truthful about his past.

Credit: Los Angeles Magazine

The controversy dates back to September 4, when Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial after 38 hours of deliberations. According to jurors who spoke in public interviews, the panel was split 11-1, with eleven jurors favoring a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity and one juror refusing to agree (now identified as Desronvil).

Before the mistrial, Clancy’s attorneys filed an emergency petition with Massachusetts’ highest court, asking justices to intervene. In that filing, previously obtained by Los Angeles, the defense alleged that the jury foreperson had identified a juror who acknowledged doubt but refused to apply the law as instructed. The defense argued that Sullivan should have questioned the juror or considered removing him rather than allowing deliberations to continue toward a mistrial. The emergency request was denied.

But the controversy only intensified after the trial.

Other jurors publicly accused Desronvil of refusing to engage in deliberations and allegedly scrolling through his cellphone during various interviews. His background once again made headlines, while his attorney, Edward Paltzik, vigorously defended him against allegations of misconduct.

Clancy’s legal team asked for a formal investigation into the juror and filed a motion to dismiss the entire criminal case, arguing that a second trial would violate constitutional protections against double jeopardy because the original mistrial was unnecessary.

In Wednesday’s ruling, Sullivan rejected the argument that information discovered after the mistrial justified reopening the issue through an evidentiary hearing. He also declined to question the juror about his reasoning, citing legal protections surrounding the secrecy of jury deliberations.

Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023, has maintained that she was not criminally responsible because of her mental condition at the time. Clancy also attempted to take her own life, leaving her permanently paralyzed.

She is scheduled to return to court November 2, when Sullivan is expected to hear arguments on the defense’s still-pending motion to dismiss the murder charges on double jeopardy grounds. The possibility of a second trial remains very much alive.

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