The lawyer representing the single juror who has not yet signed off on the verdict in Lindsay Clancy’s murder case is rejecting a charge that his client would not obey the law, telling Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany that the juror felt no doubt about his choice.
In a preview of an interview airing Monday on “Fox & Friends,” McEnany asked attorney Edward Paltzik whether juror Michael P. Desronvil ever had reasonable doubt after the jury foreperson sent the judge a note accusing him of refusing to follow the law on reasonable doubt.
“Michael had zero doubt,” Paltzik says.
The response came from “Zero doubt. No doubt. And he had evidence to back up his position?”, who answered back.
“A lot of evidence. A mountain of evidence,” Paltzik says.
Desronvil’s Stand
Eleven jurors wanted to find the former labor and delivery nurse not guilty by reason of insanity for killing her three children after seven days of deliberations in Clancy’s trial. Only Desronvil refused to agree with them, holding out for a conviction instead. The judge, William Sullivan, declared a mistrial Sept. 4.
The Killings
At the family’s Duxbury, Massachusetts, home, Clancy admitted to killing three children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan in January 2023. Her defense claimed that postpartum psychosis rendered her not criminally responsible. The prosecution countered that she knew exactly what she was doing and had planned the killings.
Paltzik’s Claim
When McEnany asked Paltzik a question, he described the evidence as “a mountain of evidence”. Later, Desronvil stated that he thought both the physical evidence and witness testimony indicated Clancy knew what she was doing.
The Foreperson’s Note
A note from the foreperson reached the judge, claiming that Desronvil had refused to follow the law concerning reasonable doubt.
The Mistrial
Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Sept. 4.
The Next Hearing
There has been no announcement from prosecutors about a potential retrial for Clancy. Her next court date falls on Sept. 29.
The Holdout’s Praise
A lawyer who says he represents him has called the holdout juror an “American hero”.
Watch the Interview
Watch McEnany’s full interview with Paltzik Monday on “Fox & Friends.”
The key facts in this case:
- Desronvil was the lone holdout juror after seven days of deliberations.
- Eleven jurors wanted a not criminally responsible verdict; Desronvil wanted a conviction.
- Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Sept. 4.
- Clancy admitted killing her three children in January 2023.
- Prosecutors have not said whether they will retry her.
The contradiction between Paltzik’s claim of “a mountain of evidence” and the foreperson’s note is the story’s core tension. Paltzik insists his client was convinced by the evidence; the foreperson disagreed.
Source material: “Attorney for lone holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy mistrial pushes back on claims of refusing the law,” Fox News.
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