Story summary
In Massachusetts, a high-profile murder trial for Lindsay Clancy ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether she should be held criminally responsible for killing her three young children. Juror Paula Devlin, who wanted the panel to find Clancy not criminally responsible, told CBS that they saw their decision as an opportunity to improve conditions for other women and families facing similar mental health crises. However, legal analyst Neama Rahmani criticized this approach, stating jurors should base decisions solely on case facts.
The deadlock was due largely to Michael Desronvil's holdout vote; he stated in a statement obtained by CBS News that he felt confident Clancy knew exactly what she was doing and planned the killings based on evidence presented. This stance has led to widespread criticism online, with some alleging bias or political motives. Desronvil told NewsNation that during deliberations, his attempts to explain his viewpoint were repeatedly interrupted.
Desronvil is now represented by Edward Andrew Paltzik, a former Trump lawyer, and claims the backlash may stem from his status as a black Republican. Despite accusations of bias, Devlin insists they only considered evidence presented in court, highlighting perceived flaws in the prosecution's case related to mental health issues. Clancy, 36, faced three counts of first-degree murder for strangling her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — in January 2023.
Written for “Lindsay Clancy Trial Juror Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.
The lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial will not be giving interviews or speaking out on what happened in the Massachusetts courtroom during the dayslong deliberations before a judge declared a mistrial earlier this month, according to a statement from his lawyer.
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judge → give → lawyer
“While I appreciate and respect the numerous understandable media requests that have poured in this evening regarding our American Hero and Champion of Justice, he will not be giving any interviews at this time,” the man’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said in a post on X. “None.
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lawyer → appreciate → X.
Paltzik added that he “too will not be giving any interviews on his behalf at this time.
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he → add → time
As deliberations in the triple murder trial unfolded over a matter of days, it became increasingly clear that the 12-person jury, comprised of nine women and three men, would not reach a unanimous verdict.
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jury → unfold → verdict
The foreperson issued deadlock notices to Massachusetts Superior Court Judge William Sullivan twice before returning to the courtroom to say one juror was not following the reasonable doubt standard and was blocking a unanimous decision.
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juror → issue → decision
Sullivan then sent jurors back to deliberations once more before they again returned with the news that they were deadlocked for a third time, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial Sept. 4.
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they → send → mistrial
“We are focused entirely on his health, safety, and well-being,” Paltzik said in the statement about his client.
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Paltzik → focus → client
“There will be a time for accountability and a time for the real story of the Lindsay Clancy Trial to be told.
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story → tell → Trial
The jury was tasked with determining whether Clancy was guilty of murdering her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, by strangling them with exercise bands Jan. 24, 2023.
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Clancy → task → bands
Her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued that she was in psychosis at the time of the killings, a result of the postpartum psychosis she was suffering from.
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she → argue → psychosis
But prosecutors said that Clancy was not in psychosis, that she was aware of her actions at the time and that she had planned the murders ahead of time.
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she → say → time
Clancy’s then-husband, Patrick Clancy, and his new wife, Dr. Rachel Danis, will be speaking out on the case for the first time Sunday in an appearance on “60 Minutes.”
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husband → speak → Minutes
Online sleuths and true-crime fanatics watching the broadcast trial had peddled conspiracy theories that it was actually Patrick Clancy who killed the children and framed Clancy.
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who → watch → Clancy
While the prosecution was gunning for a first-degree murder conviction, the jury could have also convicted Clancy of lesser charges — second-degree murder or manslaughter — or deemed her not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility.
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her → gun → responsibility
At least five other jurors have since spoken out and described hostility and disinterest from the holdout juror, who identified himself to NewsNation as Michael P. Desronvil.
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who → speak → Desronvil
Three women on the jury — including the foreperson — told NBC Boston that 11 of the jurors agreed to find Clancy not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility.
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Clancy → include → responsibility
Desronvil wanted to convict, they revealed, but admitted he expressed doubt in the prosecution’s case.
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he → want → case
Nick Dargie, one of the three men on the jury, told “Good Morning America” that Desronvil was often disengaged and scrolling on his phone during deliberations.
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Desronvil → tell → deliberations
In the interview, Dargie acknowledged that it’s fair for someone to have a differing opinion from the group but said this particular juror would not engage and could not “find something to support his view.”
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juror → acknowledge → view
Another female juror who spoke to WBZ-TV of Boston anonymously chalked it up to someone who couldn’t let go of his convictions.
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who → speak → convictions
But Desronvil told NewsNation that wasn’t true and that he never had doubts.
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he → tell → 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,” Desronvil said in the statement.
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Desronvil → try → statement
“Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she (Clancy) knew exactly what she was doing and planned.”
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she → base → what
Paltzik asked that no one contact Desronvil and that the public “respect his dignity, humanity, and privacy.”
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public → ask → dignity
“Stay away from his home, stop calling him, and don’t even think about deciphering his location,” Paltzik said in the statement.
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Paltzik → stay → statement
Paltzik said he and his client “look forward to sharing more information in the coming days on an appropriate timeline.”
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he → say → timeline
Prosecutors for the commonwealth of Massachusetts must now decide whether to retry Clancy.
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Prosecutors → decide → Clancy
Reddington has filed a motion to drop the charges, and the next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.
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hearing → file → Sept.
The Aporia
