Saturday, September 19, 2026
Clancy holdout juror: “I didn’t have any doubts”
Michael Desronvil was the one juror of 12 who would not clear Lindsay Clancy of murder for strangling her three children in 2023. In his first public statement he said he had no doubts she knew what she was doing. The other 11 believed she had postpartum psychosis. The judge declared a mistrial Sept. 4. A retrial is undecided.
A mom in Massachusetts got very sick in her mind after her baby was born, and she killed her three children. Twelve grown-ups had to decide if she was too sick to know what she was doing. Eleven said yes, one said no, so nothing is decided. That sickness is very rare, like lightning, and you are safe with us.
Why it worksA five-year-old who hears this needs two things: it is rare, and they are safe. The jury part is just a vote that didn’t finish.
- “Why couldn’t they all agree?”
- One man thought she knew what she was doing. Eleven thought she was too sick to know. They talked for days and still didn’t agree, so they stopped.
Also written for and .
Lindsay Clancy killed her three children in 2023. The trial asked whether a rare illness after birth meant she couldn’t tell right from wrong. A jury must agree 12 to 0, like a team vote where one no blocks the play. It went 11 to 1.
Why it worksThe unanimous rule is a mechanism they can test: what if one person won’t budge?
- “What happens now?”
- Nobody knows yet. The prosecutor can try the case again with a new jury, or make a deal. Her lawyer wants a deal.
- “Did she really know what she was doing?”
- That’s the whole fight. A defense psychiatrist said she was hallucinating. Her own psychiatrist saw no psychosis.
Also written for and .
Can someone be so sick that killing her own kids isn’t a crime? Eleven jurors said yes for Lindsay Clancy. One said no, and now he’s somewhere secure with a $289,000 fundraiser and Florida’s governor offering “asylum.” Hero, villain, or a juror doing his job?
Why it worksTeens can hold a real illness and a rule that lets one voice stop eleven.
- “Is one juror allowed to just refuse?”
- Yes. A verdict needs all 12. Other jurors say he ignored the reasonable-doubt rule. He says they cut him off.
- “Why is he getting money and threats?”
- Praised and scorned online, with his past debts and a dismissed charge made public. His lawyer says he’s somewhere secure.
Also written for and .
Should one person be able to stop a group from deciding?
Ask it at any age. Anyone can answer it, including the ones who didn’t read the news.
