Clancy’s legal team has petitioned the court to examine the actions of the solitary juror who favored a guilty verdict in the case involving the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three children.
In a motion submitted Friday and released Monday, Clancy’s attorneys requested that the juror be questioned regarding alleged cellphone usage during deliberations, the accuracy of his responses on the juror questionnaire completed before trial, and his truthfulness during pre‑trial inquiries by the judge.
On September 4, the judge declared a mistrial after the jury declared it unable to reach a unanimous decision despite extensive deliberation. While eleven of the twelve jurors voted to acquit Clancy, believing she was suffering from the rare disorder postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings, juror Michael Desronvil aligned with the prosecution’s view that she acted knowingly.
Additionally, attorney Kevin Reddington asked the court to obtain records of any calls or text messages Desronvil sent between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on each day the jury deliberated, noting that phone use during deliberations is prohibited under state law.
The prosecution has not yet indicated whether it will retry Clancy. She remains charged with murder and is currently detained in a psychiatric facility pending resolution of the case.
In a separate motion filed Monday, Clancy’s counsel requested that the judge dismiss the criminal charges entirely—not retry the case—arguing that the mistrial was improperly declared.
They contended that the judge ought to substitute the dissenting juror with an alternate during deliberations after the jury foreperson reported that one juror refused to heed the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt.
A spokesperson for Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz declined to comment on the motions.
Desronvil has not faced any accusations of misconduct related to his jury service, although fellow jurors noted his inflexibility regarding his belief that Clancy was guilty.
In a statement released by his attorney last week, Edward Paltzik said Desronvil “had no doubts” that Clancy knowingly killed her three children.
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