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Judge Denies Evidentiary Hearing on Holdout Juror Claim

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 3:11 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Judge Sullivan Denies Hearing

Judge William Sullivan denied Lindsay Clancy’s request for an evidentiary hearing on the holdout juror.
Sullivan said post-mistrial allegations are irrelevant to manifest necessity, citing the Supreme Judicial Court’s Karen Read precedent.
Michael P. Desronvil was the lone juror voting conviction while eleven jurors chose not-guilty-by-insanity.
Both sides will argue the double-jeopardy motion at a hearing on Nov. 2.

Summary

Juror Desronvil Claims Harassment

Juror Michael P. Desronvil said reporters and other visitors came to his home after the mistrial, which he called harassment.
He said the unwanted attention disrupted his attempt to resume his 9-to-5 job.
Desronvil credited his Catholic faith and Bible reading for guiding his verdict decision.
He plans to finish his accounting degree and then attend law school.
He says he will only serve jury if legally required.

History

Historical Context

On June 12 1995 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in the Karen Read decision written by Justice Margaret H. Marshall, ruled that a single holdout juror creates manifest necessity for a mistrial. The principle guided the 2024-25 Read murder trials, which ended in a mistrial after 25 hours of deliberation. Judge William Sullivan cites that precedent to deny Lindsay Clancy’s request, underscoring its impact on juror-impartiality.

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Judge Sullivan Denies Hearing

Judge William Sullivan denied Lindsay Clancy’s request for an evidentiary hearing on the holdout juror.
Sullivan said post-mistrial allegations are irrelevant to manifest necessity, citing the Supreme Judicial Court’s Karen Read precedent.
Michael P. Desronvil was the lone juror voting conviction while eleven jurors chose not-guilty-by-insanity.
Both sides will argue the double-jeopardy motion at a hearing on Nov. 2.

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