Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney asked a Massachusetts judge on Monday to investigate the mobile phone metadata and background of the sole holdout juror whose deadlock forced a mistrial in her murder case. Attorney Kevin Reddington filed the motion in Plymouth Superior Court, urging Judge William Sullivan to examine whether juror Michael Desronvil used a cellphone during deliberations or answered selection questions inaccurately, according to court documents obtained by the New Haven Register.
Motion to Investigate Holdout Juror Metadata and Background
According to the motion filed by Kevin Reddington, the court should probe Michael Desronvil’s mobile phone metadata covering the period when the jury deliberated the case, as reported by the New York Times. The legal filing also asks Judge William Sullivan to question Desronvil on the record, with both legal teams present, regarding the truthfulness of his juror questionnaire answers and potential use of outside information. Judge Sullivan has agreed to impound jury information and questionnaires filed prior to the trial, though he has not yet issued a ruling on Reddington’s specific investigative requests.
The mistrial was declared earlier this month after 11 of the 12 jurors voted to acquit Lindsay Clancy of first-degree murder. The panel found she lacked criminal responsibility due to postpartum psychosis when she strangled her three children—5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan—in their Duxbury home on January 24, 2023. Desronvil, a 48-year-old father, was the sole holdout, maintaining that he had no doubts about Clancy’s guilt.
Jury Deliberations and Public Accusations
Following the mistrial, fellow jurors publicly detailed a contentious deliberation process, characterizing Desronvil as distant and unwilling to engage with their arguments. Juror Paula Devlin, 65, told the Daily Mail that Desronvil was quiet for most of the week-long deliberations and focused heavily on policing the group’s conversational etiquette rather than discussing the evidence. Devlin stated that Desronvil spent time speaking with his wife or watching videos on his phone rather than fraternizing with the group.
Neither side disputed the physical acts during the six-week trial. Prosecutors argued that Clancy knew what she was doing when she killed the children while her then-husband, Patrick Clancy, ran errands. Conversely, the defense presented evidence that Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Patrick Clancy publicly supported this defense during an interview on CBS News program 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, stating he believed his ex-wife suffered from postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings.
Next Legal Steps in Plymouth Superior Court
Lindsay Clancy is scheduled to return to Plymouth Superior Court on September 29. During that hearing, Kevin Reddington is expected to ask the court to drop the three counts of first-degree murder against Clancy, arguing that the rest of the jury agreed there was reasonable doubt. Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz is also expected to announce on September 29 whether the state will pursue a retrial.
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