The lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial said he had “no doubts” she was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children, despite the jury failing to reach a verdict.
Michael Desronvil said he believed the physical evidence, key witnesses and prosecution case showed that Ms Clancy knew what she was doing and had planned it.
“I didn’t have any doubts,” Mr Desronvil said in a statement issued through his representative, Ray Marcel. “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.”
His statement added: “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.”
A judge declared a mistrial after the Massachusetts jury remained deadlocked over whether Ms Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her children at their home in January 2023.
Ms Clancy had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan. She has admitted killing the children, but the jury could not agree on whether she should be held criminally responsible.
Several jurors and Ms Clancy’s defence lawyer said the panel was divided 11-1 in favour of finding her not criminally responsible, citing evidence of mental illness. The jury reported being deadlocked three times before Judge William Sullivan declared the mistrial.
Paula Devlin, another juror, said the panel spent several days trying to persuade the holdout juror to change his view that Ms Clancy should be convicted of murder.
“We all worked together,” Ms Devlin said. “And I don’t know if it was to convince him to start with. We all worked together to convince ourselves once we got to that point where it was 10 to 2.”
Holdout juror faces online criticism
Mr Desronvil has faced widespread criticism online since the mistrial. Edward Andrew Paltzik, who said he was representing the juror, said Mr Desronvil was “safe and sound at an undisclosed secure location in a rural area of Northern New England”.
Mr Paltzik said those who had attacked the juror would be “held accountable to the maximum extent of the law and beyond”.
Mr Desronvil was also accused of domestic violence in 2021. Police in Brockton, Massachusetts, said he was accused of grabbing his wife by the throat and throwing her into a dresser during an argument.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic violence assault and battery, which was later dismissed, according to court records.
Legal analyst Caroline Polisi said a key question was whether Mr Desronvil had disclosed the allegation on his juror questionnaire. However, she said it was unclear whether the issue would affect the case now that a mistrial had been declared.
District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not said whether the state will seek a retrial. The next hearing is scheduled for 29 September at Plymouth Superior Court.
