Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney demands judge investigate black, Catholic, Republican holdout juror who refused to find her not guilty by reason of insanity

Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reggington has requested that Judge William Sullivan investigate the holdout juror who refused to find her not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder of her three children. In a statement, he cited the evidence prosecutors presented in the case as the reason why he believed she was criminally responsible taking their lives in January 2023.

The Friday filing requests a number of documents to be provided by the Plymouth County Court concerning “Juror Doe.” Reddington demands that officials hand over to the defense the confidential juror questionnaire for "Juror Doe," whose identity was revealed by Boston journalists as Michael Desronvil, a black Catholic Republican, as well as the juror’s record from the statewide domestic violence registry and records related to phone usage during deliberations.

The filing demanded that the state hand over what juror information it obtained under its Motion for Access to Prospective Juror Information, what background checks it ran, and “whether the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office has, or since January 1, 2021, has had, any matter in which Juror Doe is a defendant, complainant, or subject, including the 221 prosecution and the abuse-prevention order identified in the Impounded Supplement."

Reddington demanded that after a review of the documents, “the Court examine Juror Doe on the record, with counsel present, on three subjects only: the truthfulness of the questionnaire and voir dire answers; the sworn assurance of September 3, 2026; and the use of a mobile telephone or receipt of outside information during deliberations. The inquiry will not touch on the substance of deliberations. The court may also hear from Juror No. 10, limited to what he observed of Juror Doe’s phone use.” 

Reddington demanded that the issues presented in the motion be heard at an upcoming hearing, scheduled to take place on September 29. As the deliberations came to a close, Reddington asked the court to throw the juror out, believing that an alternate juror would find in favor of his client.

The holdout juror has been the subject of scrutiny since the Clancy trial ended in a hung jury at the beginning of the month. He finally spoke out on Thursday, saying in a statement, “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. 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.”

In the days following the declaration of a mistrial, other jurors on the jury spoke out against the him. Female jurors complained that he was “very arrogant” and completely disregarded the information” that nurses on the jury spoke about. CBS' Gayle King was so shocked when a juror told her that the holdout was black that she said on air she had to "sit with that for a minute."

Local news outlet NBC Boston revealed that the juror had been accused of domestic assault in 2021 by his then-wife. The charge against him was later dismissed after they divorced. Their divorce was in part due to her being an illegal immigrant, which he had not been aware of.

Desronvil has retained attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik, who previously represented President Donald Trump. Paltzik said his client is “safe and sound at an undisclosed secure location in a rural area of Northern New England.” 

Paltzik said 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 J. Trump, as a fellow defender of common-sense, liberty, and sanity."

The attorney also issued a warning to people he said had targeted his client. "Rest assured that the evil people who have so viciously attacked this American Hero and Champion of Justice will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law and beyond," Paltzik wrote.

His holdout vote caused a mistrial in September when the other 11 jurors could not pressure him to change his verdict. He found Clancy, who admitted to killing her three children, guilty, while the remaining 11 jurors wanted to find her not guilty by reason of insanity. In statements made to Fugitive TV, he said that the eight jurors came into deliberations with their decisions made and attempted to pressure the four others to go along with them. He, alone, did not change his mind.