Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offers asylum to Lindsay Clancy juror holdout

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Sep 12, 2026

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending the lone juror who refused to vote to acquit Lindsay Clancy of murder in the killing of her three children.

The juror, who has not been identified, single-handedly prevented a unanimous not-guilty verdict in the case, splitting the panel 11-1 on whether to find Clancy not guilty because of mental disease or defect following a seven-week, high-profile trial in a Massachusetts.

As a result, the judge declared a mistrial, and it is still unclear whether Clancy will be retried. While the holdout has not identified himself, others jurors revealed that he was Black and in his 30s. Then, NBC10 Boston reported Friday that he was charged in 2021 for allegedly assaulting his then-wife. His 13-year-old nephew apparently told police he saw the man grab his wife by the throat and throw her into the dresser. The charge was later dismissed, and the couple divorced.

In a social media post on Friday, DeSantis accused the media of launching a smear campaign against the juror, and even offered him some assistance.

“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. Another low for legacy media,” DeSantis wrote on X in response to the NBC10 report.

“If the juror is being harassed, Florida will provide asylum — I’m sure he’d be welcomed and appreciated,” the governor added.

Clancy has never denied killing her children, but her attorney argued she only did so because she suffered from postpartum psychosis. Clancy strangled all three of her kids — Cora, 5, Dawson 3, and Callan, 8 months — with exercise bands, and then tried to take her own life under the fog of a mental health crisis brought on by the rare condition, the defense contended. Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued she was aware of her actions and their consequences.