Clancy Defense Seeks Probe After Mistrial
Clancy Defense Seeks Probe After Mistrial
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Key Points
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The requested preservation order would cover more than questionnaires and phone data: it also seeks jury notes, courtroom recordings, court-officer logs, juror cellphone sign-in sheets and courthouse surveillance footage.
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The defense is asking for a limited forensic extraction of the phone allegedly brought into the jury room, including call, text and data-session records from Aug. 27 through Sept. 4.
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The proposed inquiry would specifically avoid examining the substance of the jury’s deliberations; the defense instead wants to question another juror, identified as “Juror No. 10,” about observations of possible cellphone use.
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Desronvil’s attorney has said the holdout juror faced death threats, doxxing and harassment after publicly defending his conduct in the deliberations.
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The defense also asked for information about whether the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office had any matters involving the juror since 2021, an inquiry that goes beyond the juror’s personal background records.
Lindsay Clancy's defense team has asked a Massachusetts judge to investigate the juror who blocked her murder conviction. The jury deadlocked 11-1 in the six-week trial, with eleven jurors favoring a not criminally responsible verdict for Clancy's acknowledged killing of her three children. The holdout juror, Michael P. Desronvil, reportedly believed she acted knowingly and deliberately WCVB.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington's motion seeks to examine Desronvil's juror questionnaire, cellphone records, and whether he lied during jury selection Yahoo. Fellow jurors claimed Desronvil used his phone during deliberations and expressed doubts about the case, allegations he has denied. Media reports have raised questions about his prior legal history, including domestic-violence matters and a restraining order ABC News.
The Mistrial That Left Clancy Unconvicted
Clancy, a Massachusetts woman, strangled her three children at their home in January 2023. Prosecutors argued she understood her actions. The defense attributed them to postpartum psychosis—a severe mental illness that can follow childbirth People. After six weeks of testimony, the jury split dramatically: eleven jurors sided with the defense; one did not.
The 11-1 deadlock forced Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial. Clancy was not acquitted. Instead, prosecutors must now decide whether to retry the case AOL. The unusual split—with so many jurors favoring not guilty—has prompted the defense to question whether Desronvil's decision-making was compromised.
Defense Seeks Broad Records on Juror Conduct
Reddington's motion requests preservation of jury notes, courtroom recordings, juror cellphone sign-in sheets, and courthouse surveillance footage WCVB. The defense wants limited forensic extraction of Desronvil's phone to review call, text, and data records from August 27 through September 4—the deliberation period. They also seek information about any prior legal matters involving Desronvil and the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office since 2021 Yahoo.
Critically, the inquiry would avoid examining what jurors actually discussed. Instead, it focuses on possible rule violations—whether Desronvil used his phone illegally or consulted outside information ABC News. The defense plans to question another juror about observations of Desronvil's possible cellphone use.
Desronvil's Credibility and Prior Conduct Under Scrutiny
The motion specifically questions whether Desronvil answered jury-selection questions truthfully. Media reports have surfaced claims about his prior domestic-violence-related legal matters and a restraining order People. The defense wants access to his juror questionnaire and background records to determine whether he should have been excluded from serving.
Desronvil's attorney has stated the juror faced death threats, doxxing, and harassment after publicly defending his conduct in deliberations WCVB. The judge has not yet ruled on Reddington's motion, and prosecutors have not publicly indicated whether they will oppose the investigation.
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