10
Loading video...
By Aliss Higham
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The lone juror who blocked a unanimous insanity verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has spoken out, saying he believed prosecutors presented enough evidence to show the Massachusetts mother knew what she was doing when she killed her three young children.
Clancy, 36, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the January 2023 deaths of her children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. Her defense claimed she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, excusing her from criminal responsibility. After seven days of deliberations the 12-member jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision, and Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial.
"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," Michael Desronvil explained in a statement provided to Newsweek via his lawyer. "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."
Read More on News
...
His comments come after other jurors recently claimed Desronvil had acknowledged having reasonable doubt but did not join other jurors in finding the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity.
A representative for Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, told Newsweek that due to "ongoing court orders and active legal proceedings" he cannot provide comment on Desronvil's statement.
Newsweek has approached Ray Marcel, a representative for Desronvil for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
The Lindsay Clancy Trial
The trial, which drew worldwide attention, centered on whether Clancy was criminally responsible when she killed her three children at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. Clancy did not dispute that she strangled her three children before attempting to take her own life. Instead, her defense argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and had been misdiagnosed and overmedicated despite repeatedly seeking mental health treatment. She pleaded not guilty to charges of murder.
Prosecutors argued that Clancy remained capable of understanding right from wrong when her children were killed and pointed to evidence they said showed planning. They also disputed that she was psychotic at the time and said that she understood the nature of her actions.
After several weeks of testimony, jurors deliberated for seven days but failed to unanimously decide whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the killings. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial on September 4 after the jury reported it was hopelessly deadlocked. Jurors later said 11 favored finding her not guilty by reason of insanity while one, Desronvil, disagreed.
The case sparked national debate over postpartum psychosis and how the criminal justice system should treat defendants suffering from severe maternal mental illness.
...
Who Is Michael Desronvil?
Desronvil, 48, from Massachusetts, was the lone stand out juror in Clancy's trial. His lawyer Edward Paltzik, described him as an "American Hero and Champion of Justice" for his role in the trial, saying Desronvil "loves the United States of America as the greatest country in the world; cherishes our sacred Constitution as the pinnacle of human liberty; and supports our amazing leader, President Donald Trump, as a fellow defender of common-sense, liberty, and sanity."
Paltzik also confirmed an official fundraiser has been set up for Desronvil, and that any fundraising accounts "that purport to be operating on behalf of our courageous lone holdout juror American Hero and Champion of Justice are 100% FAKE, or at minimum, were created by well-meaning individuals who we are not yet in touch with."
"We are in the process of arranging for appropriate and proper measures in this regard. In the meantime, anything else is an unauthorized SCAM, or possibly unauthorized but well-meaning, until I announce otherwise," Paltzik said on X.
He said Desronvil is "presently safe and sound at an undisclosed secure location in a rural area of Northern New England."
Court records show that in September of 2021, Desronvil faced a criminal charge for allegedly assaulting his then-wife. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were dismissed in December 2021, meaning Desronvil was not convicted over the allegations.
Desronvil also had an active restraining order against him at the time the trial started in July 2026, according to reporting by NBC10 Boston. The order, filed by his nephew, alleged Desronvil pushed him to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the face during an argument in 2025. Newsweek has not been able to independently verify the claim.
NBC10 Boston noted that Massachusetts’ standard juror questionnaires ask prospective jurors whether they have been arrested, charged with a crime or served with a court order. Desronvil’s completed questionnaire is not public and the outlet could not confirm what he disclosed during jury selection.
According to Marcel, who released a podcast episode earlier that includes reported comments from Desronvil regarding his legal history, Desronvil checked the box on the form to confirm he had previously been arrested. Newsweek has not, at this time, been able to independently verify this claim.
...
Juror Disagreements
The jury list for the Clancy trial is currently impounded, meaning a list of all who sat for the case is not publicly available. However, at the conclusion of a trial, jurors are free to speak with the media about the case and identify themselves if they wish to do so.
Earlier this week, Judge William Sullivan ordered the official list of jurors from Clancy’s trial to remain impounded indefinitely. Sullivan initially withheld the names for two weeks after the September 4 mistrial declaration, then extended the order amid concerns about juror safety, unauthorized identification of jurors and the intense attention surrounding the trial. Several jurors, including Desronvil, have chosen to be publicly identified and have spoken to the media, either directly or in Desronvil's case, via his representatives.
Several of those jurors who served alongside Desronvil in the trial have criticized his approach to deliberations. In interviews after the trial, some of the jurors said they believed Desronvil was unwilling to adequately consider their arguments.
Jury foreperson Roni Carlson told NBC10 Boston that Desronvil, who at the time of the interviews was not publicly identified, at one stage acknowledged having reasonable doubt, but that he nevertheless refused to agree that Clancy should be found not criminally responsible.
Fellow juror Paula Devlin described Desronvil as "very arrogant" during deliberations and said other jurors repeatedly went through medical and toxicology evidence in an effort to address his concerns. Devlin later told CBS News that the increasingly isolated juror may have felt attacked as the panel moved toward an 11-1 split.
Another juror, Nick Dargie, said Desronvil would at times not engage when other panelists asked him to identify evidence supporting his position.
"There was several times I would ask him to show us evidence or describe a witness testimony that helped to prove what he was saying, and he couldn't," Dargie told NBC10 Boston.
Dargie also said he was "shocked" when the holdout used an exercise band and water bottle during deliberations to recreate how the children had been strangled.
"I think that I was just so shocked that he did that. I was shocked," Dargie said. "It didn't make any sense to me. We're not in there to play detective. It's not a game of Clue. This is serious. I asked him why he was doing that."
What Is a Mistrial?
Federal criminal law mandates a jury must unanimously reach a conclusion to deliver a verdict. If this does not happen, the judge can call a mistrial, which ends the trial with no verdict. A mistrial is not an acquittal or a conviction. The charges usually remain in place, and prosecutors can choose to retry the defendant before a new jury.
What Happens Next
Following Clancy’s mistrial, the case remains unresolved and the murder charges against her are still pending.
The next confirmed court proceeding is a September 29 status hearing in Plymouth Superior Court before Sullivan. Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, has filed a renewed motion asking Sullivan to enter a required finding of not guilty. He argued that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to establish criminal responsibility for the killings beyond a reasonable doubt.
Reddington has also said he intends to argue that another prosecution should be barred on double-jeopardy grounds, challenging whether there was sufficient necessity to declare the mistrial.
...
As of September 18, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has still not announced whether prosecutors intend to retry Clancy. He said following the declaration of the mistrial: "I'm going to be meeting with our team, and we will address this case further at the appropriate time in the context of an official court proceeding."
For now, Clancy remains in custody and is receiving psychiatric treatment at Tewksbury State Hospital, Massachusetts, under the conditions that were in place before the trial.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines