Florida Governor says state would protect juror in Lindsay Clancy trial if harassed
Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida would offer protection to the unidentified holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial if the juror faces harassment, after media reports linked the juror to a past domestic-violence charge.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state would provide "asylum" to the unidentified juror who refused to convict Lindsay Clancy in a triple-murder trial, should the juror encounter harassment. DeSantis posted on social media that the juror would be "welcomed and appreciated" in Florida if needed.
The juror’s background came under scrutiny after NBC10 Boston reported that he had been charged in 2021 with assaulting his then-wife, an allegation that was later dismissed. DeSantis accused the media of a "smear campaign" and described the NBC report as "another low for legacy media."
The trial ended in a mistrial after seven days of deadlocked deliberations, with 11 of 12 jurors voting to find Clancy not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued that she suffered postpartum psychosis and was overmedicated. The lone holdout juror expressed reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s claim that Clancy planned to strangle her children, but reportedly refused to endorse a not-guilty verdict.
Jury foreperson Roni Carlson told NBC Boston that the holdout juror admitted his doubt but would not say Clancy was not guilty by reason of insanity. Other jurors described the experience as exhausting, with one noting that the group felt "defeated" after the mistrial.
The revelations have raised questions about the juror questionnaire, which asks about prior arrests, charges or court orders.