Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has stepped into the controversy surrounding the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, accusing the media of mounting a smear campaign against the man and offering him refuge in the Sunshine State.
In a social media post on Friday, DeSantis responded to a report from NBC10 Boston that detailed the juror's alleged history of domestic violence and an active restraining order. The governor framed the coverage as an attack on a man who stood against letting Clancy escape accountability for the deaths of her three children.
“A man objected to allowing a woman to kill her three young kids and get away with it, so NBC is trying to smear that juror, whose identity should be protected,” DeSantis wrote. “Another low for legacy media.”
DeSantis went further, extending an unusual offer to the unidentified juror. “If the juror is being harassed, Florida will provide asylum — I’m sure he’d be welcomed and appreciated,” he said.
The juror’s background came to light in a report that revealed he was charged in 2021 with allegedly assaulting his then-wife. According to the report, his 13-year-old nephew told police he witnessed the man grab her by the throat and throw her into a dresser. The charge was later dropped, and the couple divorced.
Last year, the same nephew obtained a restraining order against the juror after accusing him of pushing him to the ground and assaulting him. That order was still in effect when the juror was selected for Clancy’s trial, raising questions about how he passed the jury screening process.
Massachusetts’ standard juror questionnaire asks prospective jurors about arrests, criminal charges, and court orders. NBC10 reported that each of those questions would have applied to the juror, though his questionnaire remains private, and it is unclear how he answered.
The report also noted that the juror was facing eviction for failure to pay rent since March, with a landlord obtaining a judgment of over $12,000 in unpaid rent during the jury’s deliberations.
The juror was the sole dissenter in the 11-1 split over whether Clancy should be found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. After seven days of deliberations, Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial last week.
Clancy was charged with killing her three children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — at their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in 2023. Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible at the time of the killings.
DeSantis’ offer adds a political dimension to the case, drawing attention to Florida’s stance on legal matters and media scrutiny. The governor has previously criticized federal policies he views as overreaching, and his latest comments signal a willingness to intervene in high-profile cases that capture conservative attention.
As the case heads toward a potential retrial, the juror’s identity and background remain a point of contention, with some questioning the fairness of the jury selection process. The defense team is weighing its next steps after the hung jury, and the spotlight on the holdout juror may complicate future proceedings.
