Florida Governor Offers Asylum to Holdout Juror in Lindsay Clancy Mistrial
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state would grant asylum to the unidentified juror whose dissent forced a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder case, after media reports linked the juror to a prior domestic-violence charge. The mistrial followed a protracted series of deadlocked deliberations in which the jury repeatedly split 11-1, with a single holdout juror refusing to apply the reasonable-doubt standard despite repeated judicial instructions.
Judge William Sullivan declined to dismiss the juror, re-read the instructions, and ultimately announced a mistrial on September 2, 2026. Earlier, the jury had been sent back multiple times over five to seven days of deliberations, and the judge issued special instructions warning of a possible mistrial before the holdout’s refusal solidified the deadlock.