Judge Denies Defense Bid to Examine Holdout Juror's Phone in Clancy Mistrial

A Massachusetts judge has denied a motion by the defense to investigate the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, ruling that any potential evidence of juror misconduct is irrelevant after a mistrial was declared. The defense had sought to examine the juror's phone.

Judge William Sullivan stated that the timing of the information, which emerged after the mistrial, made it inadmissible according to court precedent. The defense's motion for an evidentiary hearing was thus denied. Sullivan noted that the defense did not raise concerns about the juror's conduct until after the mistrial had been declared, and that the potential issues originated from media reports.

Sullivan wrote that the court cannot delve into a juror's subjective reasoning or thought process, nor the jury's collective deliberations. He added that post-trial information cannot be used to attack the necessity of a mistrial.

The holdout juror, identified in court documents as Juror Doe and by media as Michael Desronvil, was the sole juror who did not vote to acquit Lindsay Clancy by reason of postpartum psychosis. Desronvil has stated he stands by his decision and denied claims that he lied on his juror questionnaire or ignored reasonable doubts.

He also stated that jurors used their cellphones only during breaks, not during deliberations. Clancy's children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, were found dead in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023.

Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, had also sought to preserve records from all jurors and alternates, including questionnaires, surveillance video, and cellphone sign-in sheets. However, his specific request to examine Desronvil's phone during deliberation hours was rejected by the judge.

Clancy is scheduled to return to court on November 2. The mistrial occurred in September 2026. The defense has previously pushed for an investigation into the holdout juror, leading to a war of words between legal teams. The holdout juror's attorneys have indicated plans to file a bar complaint against Reddington.