Lindsay Clancy trial: Holdout juror breaks silence in US mother’s 3-child murder case

6 min readUpdated: Sep 18, 2026 10:47 PM IST

Lindsay Clancy looks on as Judge William Sullivan has declared a mistrial in Plymouth, US, September 4, 2026. (Reuters/the image modified using AI)

A lone juror stood between Lindsay Clancy and a verdict after nearly 40 hours of deliberations. While 11 members of the Massachusetts jury ultimately backed finding Clancy not criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children, Michael P Desronvil held to his position that she was responsible for the killings.

Now, after the judge declared a mistrial, Desronvil has broken his silence, saying he “didn’t have any doubts” about his decision.

“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,” Desronvil, 48, said in a statement obtained by CBS News.

He said during deliberations he tried to present different theories based on the evidence but felt he was being treated as though he had doubts about Clancy’s criminal responsibility.

“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.”

The jury was unable to reach the unanimous verdict required in the case, leading Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial on September 4, the seventh day of deliberations.

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What happened in the Lindsay Clancy trial?

Clancy, 36, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on January 24, 2023. She admitted killing the children but pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.

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Her defence argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and other mental-health problems at the time of the killings, leaving her unable to understand the nature or wrongfulness of her actions.

Prosecutors disputed that account and argued that the killings were intentional and planned. The case therefore turned not simply on whether Clancy killed her children, but on whether she was criminally responsible for those acts under Massachusetts law.

The trial lasted about five weeks, followed by more than 38 hours of jury deliberations. The 12-member panel comprised nine women and three men.

How did the jury split?

The jury eventually became deadlocked 11-1. Several jurors who subsequently spoke publicly said the panel spent days trying to persuade the lone holdout to accept the defence’s position.

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Juror Paula Devlin said the panel eventually reached a point where 10 jurors supported the defence position, before the final juror remained opposed. She described the deliberations as an emotional experience for the panel.

The defence had sought the removal of the holdout juror during deliberations, arguing that he was not properly applying the legal standard of reasonable doubt. Courts rejected that request, and the jury continued deliberating before the mistrial was declared.

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Desronvil, however, has rejected the suggestion that he was uncertain about the evidence. “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 said.

Why is the holdout juror’s background being scrutinised?

Desronvil’s role in the mistrial has drawn further attention because of his own legal history. CBS News reported that he was accused of domestic violence in 2021 after police said his then-wife alleged that he grabbed her by the throat and threw her into a dresser during an argument. Desronvil pleaded not guilty and the charge was later dismissed, according to court records.

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Reports have also raised questions about a restraining order involving a family member and an eviction case over unpaid rent.

However, the existence of those records does not by itself establish that Desronvil was legally disqualified from serving as a juror. A key issue is whether information that jurors were required to disclose was actually disclosed during the jury-selection process.

CBS legal analyst Caroline Polisi said the question of whether Desronvil disclosed the domestic-violence allegation on his juror questionnaire could be significant, although it is unclear what effect that issue could now have after the mistrial.

The court has also taken steps to protect the identities of the other jurors amid intense public scrutiny and reactions to the case.

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What happens to Lindsay Clancy now?

The mistrial does not resolve the murder charges against Clancy. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not announced whether prosecutors will seek a retrial. Clancy remains in a state psychiatric facility, and her next court hearing is scheduled for September 29.

Clancy’s defence team, meanwhile, has indicated that it intends to challenge the possibility of another trial on double-jeopardy grounds. Her lawyers have argued that the circumstances leading to the mistrial do not justify putting her through another prosecution.

A retrial, if prosecutors pursue one and the court permits it, would therefore involve a new jury and could bring renewed scrutiny of the evidence surrounding Clancy’s mental state and the events of January 2023.

The first trial ended with 11 jurors supporting a finding that Clancy was not criminally responsible and one juror maintaining that the evidence showed she knew what she was doing. The resulting deadlock left the case unresolved.

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Lindsay Clancy Trial Status

Following a Sept 4 mistrial in the 2023 killings, here is what is legally established, what is reported from the jury room, and what remains to be determined.

Established Reported Uncertain

• ✓ Admission of acts: Clancy was charged with killing her three children in Jan 2023 and admitted to causing their deaths.
• ✓ Defence argument: Her attorneys maintained that severe postpartum psychosis left her not criminally responsible for the killings.
• ✓ Prosecution argument: Prosecutors argued the killings were intentional, premeditated, and that she understood they were wrong.
• ✓ Mistrial: The jury deliberated for seven days without reaching a unanimous verdict, prompting Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial on Sept 4.
• ✓ Lone holdout: Michael Desronvil was the sole holdout juror and has publicly defended his stance that she was criminally responsible.

• ⚠ Jury split: The foreperson and multiple jurors told media outlets that the panel was divided 11-1 in favour of finding Clancy not criminally responsible.

• ✕ Improper influence: There is no established proof that Desronvil's past legal matters improperly influenced his jury service, despite public scrutiny.
• ✕ Retrial prospects: It is not yet known if prosecutors will pursue a second trial.
• ✕ Double jeopardy: Whether the defence team's planned constitutional challenge to prevent another trial on double-jeopardy grounds will succeed.

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