Fundraiser for Lindsay Clancy Trial Holdout Juror Surges After He Speaks Out

An online fundraiser for Michael P. Desronvil, the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, has drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars after he publicly explained his decision to reject the other jurors’ position.

Desronvil, 48, spoke publicly for the first time following the Sept. 4 mistrial, saying through his attorney that he “didn’t have any doubts” about Clancy’s criminal responsibility for the deaths of her three children. He said the physical evidence, testimony and other evidence presented by prosecutors convinced him that she knew what she was doing and had planned the killings.

His decision left the jury deadlocked 11-1 after seven days of deliberations, resulting in a mistrial in the closely watched Massachusetts case.

Donations Pour In

The fundraiser, titled “Stand With The Juror,” was launched on GiveSendGo shortly after the mistrial. By Friday, it had collected more than $287,000, including a $10,000 donation from an anonymous contributor. By Saturday afternoon, the campaign had surpassed $340,000.

The campaign’s organizers said the money is intended to help Desronvil with security expenses, legal costs and lost income as he deals with the intense reaction to his role in the trial.

Many donors left messages praising him for standing by his position during deliberations. The fundraiser’s rapid growth accelerated after his identity was publicly confirmed and he issued his statement defending his decision.

Desronvil Explains His Position

In his statement, Desronvil disputed suggestions that he simply refused to consider the evidence presented by his fellow jurors.

“As I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation, I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence presented,” he said.

He maintained that the prosecution’s evidence was sufficient, in his view, to establish that Clancy understood her actions and had planned them.

Other jurors have offered a sharply different account of the deliberations. They have alleged that Desronvil did not adequately engage with the reasonable-doubt standard and, among other things, accused him of using his phone during deliberations. Those claims remain part of the competing accounts surrounding the mistrial.

Claims of Threats and Harassment

Desronvil’s attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said his client has faced severe backlash since the mistrial, including alleged death threats, doxxing and harassment.

Paltzik said Desronvil is staying at an undisclosed secure location in rural Northern New England. He also said that an official fundraising effort would be organized to support the juror.

The GiveSendGo campaign was subsequently verified, with the platform confirming Desronvil as the recipient. Earlier warnings from his attorney had cautioned that fundraising accounts claiming to represent Desronvil had not initially been authorized.

A Trial That Ended Without a Verdict

Clancy, 36, has acknowledged killing her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — at the family’s Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023.

Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible for her actions. Prosecutors argued that she understood what she was doing and should be held responsible. The jury ultimately could not reach the agreement required for a verdict.

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office has not announced whether it will retry Clancy. Her case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 29, when the next steps are expected to be addressed.

For now, the case has moved beyond the courtroom and into a wider public debate, with Desronvil becoming a central figure in the aftermath of the mistrial. His fundraiser’s rapid growth reflects the intense attention surrounding both his decision and the unresolved legal questions still facing Clancy.