Lindsay Clancy holdout juror thanks God for Catholic faith in video statement

Michael Desronvil, who identified himself as the sole holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder case, thanked God for his Catholic faith and urged the public to focus on Clancy’s three slain children in a Sept. 28 video statement, a day before Clancy returned to court as her defense sought to prevent a retrial.

In the roughly 60-second clip aired on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Desronvil introduced himself as “the lone juror” and immediately redirected attention away from himself. 

“I know the whole focus has been on me, but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the three angels,” he said, adding, “the ones that can’t speak for themselves, the ones who can’t defend themselves, and the ones that can’t fight the battles. And those are Cora, Dawson, and Callan.” 

“I want to thank God for my Catholic faith,” Desronvil said. “I want to thank God for blessing me with the ability to love my daughter.” 

He also thanked those who had supported him following the mistrial, saying, “Your prayers, your emotional support, your psychological support is tremendous to my heart.” 

Judge William Sullivan of Plymouth County Superior Court declared a mistrial Sept. 4 after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict following more than 38 hours of deliberations over seven days. According to jurors who spoke publicly afterward, 11 jurors favored finding Clancy not criminally responsible by reason of insanity in the January 2023 strangling deaths of her three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Desronvil reportedly held out against that finding.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan. During the trial, her defense did not dispute that she killed the children but argued that postpartum psychosis left her unable to understand the wrongfulness of her actions. Prosecutors maintained that she planned the killings and was criminally responsible.

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Following the mistrial, several jurors accused Desronvil of favoring a conviction despite expressing reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s case. He has denied those allegations.

In an interview with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany that aired Sept. 28 on “Fox & Friends,” his attorney, Edward Paltzik, said Desronvil had “zero doubt” and a “mountain of evidence” supporting his position.

Paltzik also denied prior domestic violence allegations against his client.

“Every single allegation against Michael is false, fabricated, never happened, categorically false,” he said.

As Zeale News previously reported, the juror’s brother told the New York Post in an interview published Sept. 15 that the scrutiny had severely disrupted his family’s life. 

“My family cannot leave the house,” he said. “They are leaving notes at my mother’s house.”

The Post also reported that police arrested the lone juror in connection with an alleged domestic assault in 2021, but prosecutors later dismissed the charges. Sullivan subsequently ordered the court to keep the jurors’ identities sealed because of a “real and present risk” to their safety.

Clancy returned to court Sept. 29, when Sullivan heard arguments on her defense’s request for a finding of not guilty but issued no immediate ruling. 

Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued that prosecutors had failed to prove she killed her children, marking a shift from her previous defense that she was not criminally responsible. According to Reuters, Reddington told Sullivan police conducted a “horrific, ridiculous investigation” that failed to provide enough evidence.

Prosecutors had not announced whether they would retry her, and the judge scheduled another hearing for Nov. 2 to address pending motions and discuss a possible trial date.