Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday offered "asylum" to the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy case, following a report that detailed alleged past domestic violence accusations against the juror. The juror, who was the sole dissenter in an 11-1 split on whether Clancy should be found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, became the subject of an NBC10 Boston report.
DeSantis stated on the social media platform X that the report was an attempt to damage the reputation of the juror, described as a Black man in his 30s. "A man objected to allowing a woman to kill her three young kids and get away with it, so NBC is trying to smear that juror, whose identity should be protected. Another low for legacy media," DeSantis wrote. "If the juror is being harassed, Florida will provide asylum — I’m sure he’d be welcomed and appreciated."
NBC10 Boston reported that the juror had been accused of attacking his wife in September 2021 and that his nephew had obtained a restraining order against him last year. The outlet also reported that the man faces a pending eviction case for $12,000 in unpaid rent. Court records indicate the juror divorced his wife after the alleged 2021 incident, and the criminal charge against him was dismissed. His ex-wife reportedly stated she refrained from pursuing the case due to concerns about losing custody of their daughter.
Juror questionnaires in Massachusetts require prospective jurors to disclose arrests, charges, or court orders. NBC10 reported that the holdout juror should have answered these questions affirmatively.
The report emerged as other jurors shared their perspectives on the holdout. Juror Paula Devlin told CBS Mornings that the juror was a Black man and the only person of color on the panel. Another juror, Nick Dargie, told ABC News that the holdout juror appeared disengaged during deliberations. Dargie alleged that the juror used an exercise band, similar to those Clancy used to strangle her children, to mimic the killings around a water bottle in the deliberation room. "I was so shocked. We’re not here to play detective – it’s not a game of Clue. This is serious," Dargie said. "I asked him why are you doing that? That’s a band that was used to strangle a child. That’s disgusting."
Lindsay Clancy was accused of strangling her three young children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, with exercise bands. The jury's inability to reach a unanimous verdict on the mental defect defense led to a mistrial on September 4, 2026. Clancy's defense team had argued she was not criminally responsible due to a suicide attempt and postpartum psychosis. The prosecution contended that Clancy was aware of her actions when she killed her children.