“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.”
The lone holdout juror who prevented Lindsay Clancy from being found not criminally responsible for killing her three young children is speaking publicly for the first time, pushing back against accusations from fellow jurors that he had doubts about her guilt and declaring that he believed the evidence showed Clancy "knew exactly what she was doing."
"I didn't have any doubts," Michael Desronvil said in a statement to NewsNation. “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."
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View on X"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 added.
His account directly challenges claims made publicly by other members of the jury following the mistrial, including assertions that Desronvil had expressed doubt about whether Clancy committed first-degree murder but refused to join the other 11 jurors in finding her not criminally responsible. Desronvil's decision left the jury deadlocked 11-1 after seven days of deliberations, leading Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial on Sept. 4.
Clancy was charged with murdering her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan, at the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts home in January 2023. Clancy admitted killing the children but pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Her attorneys argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors maintained that she understood and planned her actions.
Desronvil's public statement comes after days of intense scrutiny of his personal life, political beliefs and religious faith following the mistrial.
He has also retained an attorney who previously represented President Donald Trump. Attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik announced Thursday that he represents Desronvil and said his client has left the area and is now "safe and sound at an undisclosed secure location in a rural area of Northern New England."
Paltzik, who represented Trump in litigation against The New York Times and was involved in Trump's litigation against CBS Broadcasting over its "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, called Desronvil a "courageous and heroic lone holdout juror."
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View on X"He is an American Hero and Champion of Justice," Paltzik wrote on X, asking supporters to "pray for him and help us protect him."
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.
Paltzik's practice includes defamation, media law, civil rights and constitutional litigation, and he also serves as outside counsel to the Second Amendment Foundation.
Before announcing that he represented Desronvil, Paltzik had publicly defended the holdout and raised the prospect of defamation litigation stemming from the aftermath of the trial. He specifically questioned whether Desronvil should sue Clancy defense attorney Kevin Reddington for defamation after Reddington suggested following the mistrial that the holdout had an unspecified "agenda."
Desronvil's new statement also disputes an account offered by juror Paula Devlin, who said publicly that Desronvil appeared to express doubt after jurors watched a video interview with Clancy. "And then we watched the video of Lindsay's interview and after that [the holdout] said he had realized that it wasn't murder in the first degree. That's where we saw his doubt," Devlin told CBS.
Desronvil now says his attempts to discuss different theories were being misconstrued as doubt.
Devlin also revealed that Desronvil was the only Black member of the jury. When Gayle King learned the holdout was a Black man, she responded, "Whoa. I have to sit with that for just a second."
The jury forewoman had asked Sullivan to intervene during deliberations over allegations that the holdout was failing to properly apply the reasonable-doubt standard. The judge questioned the jurors and reread his instructions before ultimately declaring a mistrial after the panel remained deadlocked.
Sullivan also declined a defense request to remove the holdout, saying, "I don't feel it's appropriate for me to say I agree with one juror or 11."
One female juror later acknowledged that she entered deliberations believing Clancy was guilty and criminally responsible but changed her vote. She told WBZ-TV that she ultimately believed finding Clancy not guilty was the only way to ensure she received the help she needed, while also saying reasonable doubt factored into her decision.
Another juror who publicly criticized Desronvil had previously supported Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted in 2025 of killing her police officer boyfriend, and had celebrated Read's acquittal online.
Desronvil's personal life was subsequently subjected to scrutiny. CBS News reported that he was accused of domestic violence in 2021 and pleaded not guilty to domestic violence assault and battery. The criminal charge was later dismissed.
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His relatives have also said they were overwhelmed by attention directed at the family. Desronvil's brother said people had contacted relatives and left notes at his mother's home.
"My family cannot leave the house," his brother said. "They are leaving notes at my mother's house. They won't leave us alone, and we don't know anything."
A crowdfunding campaign established to help Desronvil with security, attorneys, and lost work surged following the controversy, eventually climbing past $200,000.
District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not announced whether prosecutors will retry Clancy. The case is scheduled to return to Plymouth Superior Court on Sept. 29.