Lindsay Clancy Holdout Juror Defends Verdict, Says Defense Wants Only His Phone Records
Michael Desronvil, the lone juror who blocked a not-criminally-responsible verdict in the Lindsay Clancy mistrial, says he stands by his decision and denies any improper phone use during deliberations, as defense attorney Kevin Reddington seeks to examine only his records.
Michael Desronvil, the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder mistrial, said he stands by his decision to reject a not-criminally-responsible finding and denied any improper use of his cellphone during deliberations, even as the defense seeks to examine only his phone records.
In his first televised interview since the mistrial, Desronvil told Fox News that he could not compromise with the 11 other jurors who wanted Clancy found not criminally responsible for strangling her three young children. He said he had never heard of the case before jury selection and did not realize how prominent it would become.
Desronvil repeatedly urged the public to focus on the children, whom he called «the Three Angels.» He described Dawson, 3, who wanted to be a firefighter; Cora, 5, who reminded him of his own daughter because they shared a favorite color, purple, and were the same age; and Callan, the youngest, who was only 8 months old.
The juror's comments came as Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, asked Judge William Sullivan to preserve records from all 12 jurors and six alternates, including questionnaires, courthouse hallway surveillance video outside the deliberation room, and sign-in sheets for the jurors' cellphones. But only Desronvil's phone has been singled out for specific examination.
Reddington has requested Desronvil's phone records between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on each deliberation day. Desronvil said the request mischaracterizes what happened. «Everybody had their cellphones and our cell phone was used when we had a break,» he said. «So not during deliberation.»
Before the mistrial was declared, Reddington accused the holdout juror in court of lying under oath, a claim Desronvil denied outright. «I answered everything truthfully,» he said. Reddington has since filed a motion seeking an investigation into Desronvil, citing past domestic violence allegations, probation records, and his juror questionnaire, while publicly labeling him «the obstructionist.»
Desronvil said he answered the questionnaire truthfully and that a 2021 altercation with his wife had been «blown out of proportion.» He said there was no physical, emotional, or financial abuse of any kind, and that charges were later dropped.
The holdout juror also described a frightening aftermath. He said that the day after the trial ended, journalists were already at his home, and that some went through his mail and peered through windows and doors. «We have surveillance cameras, and then we have actual footage of them going through our mail, and then going through the back door, the front door, peeking through the windows,» he said. «So we have proof of that.»
He said police have escorted his fiancée to and from their home, though he has not received physical threats. He credited neighbors, local business owners, church members, and the police and fire departments with helping him, his fiancée, and his daughter through the period.
Desronvil said the prosecution's case convinced him that Clancy methodically and logically planned the «execution» of her children, rejecting the defense argument that she was not criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis. He pointed to video evidence and courtroom testimony as central to his conclusion. «That was really big for me, you know, from watching the video and also listening in the courtroom,» he said. «The thought process that goes behind … to fulfill the commitment of doing that.»
He also said Patrick Clancy's 911 call, placed after he returned home to find his three children dead and his then-wife seriously injured from a failed suicide attempt, left a deep impression. «Hearing the pain in his voice, hearing the desperation from that clip — it was surreal,» Desronvil said, calling it one of the strongest pieces of evidence.
Asked whether he would serve on a jury again after the scrutiny, Desronvil said it would be difficult but that he would do it for a higher purpose. «With the kind of scrutiny that happened to me, it's tough … to serve on a jury pool again, but I do serve a higher power so I can't be a coward,» he said. «If I have to, I will.»
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