Judge denies hearing on Clancy holdout juror

A Massachusetts judge denied Lindsay Clancy’s request for an evidentiary hearing and records concerning Michael Desronvil, the lone holdout juror whose refusal to join the other 11 jurors led to a mistrial in her trial for killing her three children on Sept. 4. Clancy’s attorneys sought to investigate whether Desronvil misstated his criminal-justice history on a jury questionnaire or received outside information, including possible cellphone use, and have argued she was not criminally responsible because of postpartum psychosis and overmedication. Judge William Sullivan ruled that the need for a mistrial must be assessed using information available when it was declared and that probing jurors’ reasoning or deliberations would be improper. The defense’s motion to dismiss the murder charges on double-jeopardy grounds remains pending, and it is unclear whether Clancy will be retried. The parties are scheduled to address pending motions on Nov. 2.