Holdout Juror Denies Misconduct, Claims Other Jurors Used Phones During Deliberations

The sole holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has claimed that other jurors used their cell phones during deliberations and even posted on social media, according to his spokesperson. This assertion comes in response to a motion filed by Clancy's defense attorney seeking to examine the holdout juror's phone records.

Michael P. Desronvil, the holdout juror, reportedly stated that multiple other jurors had their phones with them throughout the seven days of deliberations and were not prevented from using them. His spokesperson, Ray Marcel, relayed that some jurors were allegedly posting to social media while deliberations were ongoing.

"He said everybody had their phone on them. It wasn’t like they took their phones away and locked them away," Marcel stated, recounting a conversation with Desronvil. Marcel added that he was unsure of the official rules regarding phone usage but noted that no jurors were instructed to surrender their devices.

Marcel, who hosts a true-crime YouTube channel, also claimed that Desronvil had researched terms like "psychosis" and "altruistic filicide" during the trial to ensure he understood the definitions. He also suggested that jury instructions contained a "gray area" regarding looking up words, implying Desronvil may not have been the only juror to seek clarification.

Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, filed a motion requesting the court to investigate Desronvil. The motion alleged that Desronvil may have misrepresented himself during jury selection and that he used his cell phone during deliberations. Reddington asked the judge to order Desronvil's phone carrier to provide call and text records and to allow a neutral examiner to review the phone's data.

Reddington's motion referenced comments from another juror, Nick Dargie, who reportedly told ABC News that Desronvil was disengaged from deliberations and appeared to be using his phone. Jurors in Massachusetts are generally permitted to keep their phones but are prohibited from using them during trial proceedings or deliberations.

Desronvil was the only juror who did not vote to convict Clancy of murdering her three children, Callan, Dawson, and Cora. The jury's deadlock resulted in a mistrial. Clancy's defense has argued she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis.

Marcel has urged that if Desronvil's phone records are to be investigated, the same scrutiny should be applied to all other jurors' devices to ensure consistency. He also alleged that the judge had instructed jurors to stop using electronic devices after some had reportedly already been using their phones to look up definitions during deliberations.