A Massachusetts judge ruled Wednesday that the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial will not be required to submit his phone for examination or face an evidentiary hearing, a decision that ends the defense attorney's attempt to investigate the juror's conduct during the mistrial. Judge William Sullivan denied the motion filed by Clancy attorney Kevin Reddington, finding that the evidence used to support the request emerged only after the court had already declared a mistrial. The juror, referred to as Juror Doe in court documents but understood to be Michael Desronvil, was the only member of the panel who favored convicting Clancy for the strangling deaths of her three young children. Sullivan wrote that because the defense did not raise the issue of the juror lying on the questionnaire before the mistrial was declared, the information is irrelevant under court precedent. The judge noted that the allegation originated in media reports rather than being presented to the court in a timely manner. Sullivan emphasized that post-trial information regarding a juror's impartiality cannot be used to attack the determination that a mistrial was necessary. Consequently, Clancy is not entitled to a hearing on that specific issue. The judge further stated that any further inquiry into the holdout juror is inappropriate because courts must not examine a juror's subjective reasoning, thought process, or relationship with other jurors. Sullivan also ruled that the court must not inquire into the jury's deliberative content or any disagreement among the panel members. Reddington had specifically requested an examination of Desronvil's phone between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on each day of deliberations. The attorney also asked the court to preserve records from all 12 jurors and six alternates, including questionnaires, hallway surveillance video, and cell phone sign-in sheets. In a recent interview with Fox News' Kayleigh McEnany, Desronvil stated that he stands by his decision not to compromise with the other 11 jurors who wanted Clancy found not criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis. The juror denied lying under oath on his questionnaire and asserted that jurors only used their cell phones during breaks from deliberations. He denied claims from other jurors that he ignored reasonable doubts about the case, referring to Clancy's slain children as The Three Angels: Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. Clancy returns to court on Nov. 2.
Judge blocks Lindsay Clancy defense inquiry into holdout juror phone
A Massachusetts judge ruled Wednesday that the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial will not be required to submit his phone for examination or face an evidentiary hearing, a decision that ends the defense…
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