Gayle King, co-host of "CBS Mornings," expressed surprise upon learning that the lone dissenting juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial was a Black man. Paula Devlin, a juror who was part of the 11-person majority favoring a finding of not criminally responsible for Clancy's alleged actions, shared this information in an interview with King.
King's reaction, described as visibly flustered, came after Devlin stated that the sole juror who did not agree with the majority was a Black man and the only person of color on the jury. "Whoa. I have to sit with that for just a second," King said.
Last week, Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. The jury reported being split 11-1, with the single holdout juror reportedly voting to convict Clancy of first-degree murder for the deaths of her three young children, Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months.
Another juror, Nick Dargie, recounted that the dissenting juror had at one point attempted to demonstrate how Clancy allegedly killed her children using an exercise band and a water bottle. Dargie described being shocked by this action and questioning the juror's reasoning. "I was shocked, it didn't make any sense to me. Like, we're not in here to play detective or it's not a game of Clue. Like, this is serious. I asked him why," Dargie told ABC News.
Dargie further stated that the holdout juror was unable to provide evidence or specific witness testimony to support his position. "There was several times I would ask him to show us evidence or, you know, describe a witness testimony that helped to prove what he was saying, and ... he couldn't," Dargie said. He added that the juror "wasn't a single piece of evidence or witness testimony that he used to prove why he was thinking the way he was, which is why we ultimately sent in that note."
This note, sent by the jury foreperson, informed the court that one juror was allegedly refusing to follow instructions regarding reasonable doubt.
The exchange was amplified online by Curtis Houck, managing editor of the Media Research Center's NewsBusters division. Houck commented on the potential cultural implications of King's reaction, suggesting it revealed assumptions about the juror's identity. He also raised concerns about the juror's privacy, noting that identifying him by race, gender, and approximate age could expose him to increased scrutiny.