Domestic Violence Allegations Raise Questions About Dissenting Juror in Lindsay Clancy Trial
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The investigative team from Telemundo New England and NBC10 Boston reveals new details about the only dissenting juror in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy. Court documents and interviews with family members reveal a history of domestic violence allegations. Investigators also uncovered an ongoing eviction case related to months of unpaid rent and found an active restraining order against the juror while he was hearing evidence in the case. These details raise questions about the jury selection process and how this Plymouth County resident was chosen for a high-profile case that ended in a mistrial. The investigative team has repeatedly attempted to contact the juror at his home, where his landlord is currently seeking to evict him. He has not been identified at this time as he has chosen not to speak publicly, and the juror list remains under judicial seal. However, experts believe there were warning signs regarding how he completed his juror questionnaire. In September 2021, the dissenting juror in the Clancy case faced a criminal charge for assaulting his wife in Brockton District Court. According to a police report, the juror's 13-year-old nephew called 911 after claiming that his uncle had choked his wife and thrown her against a dresser. The report indicates that the juror's mother was repeatedly shouting, 'You’re evil!' as police proceeded with the arrest. Court records show that the couple divorced after the incident and that the criminal charge was later dismissed. This week, the juror's ex-wife stated that she did not want to testify in the case because she feared losing custody of their daughter. Last year, the same teenage nephew mentioned in the 2021 incident obtained a restraining order after claiming that the juror pushed him to the ground and struck him repeatedly in the face. In his affidavit, the young man wrote that his uncle then told him, 'You ruined my (damn) life' for calling the police and added, 'This was going to happen to you sooner or later.' That restraining order was still in effect when the juror was selected for the Clancy trial and heard evidence in this controversial case for weeks. 'I don’t see how they would have allowed him to be part of this jury,' said Michael Coyne, chief legal analyst for our sister station NBC10 Boston. The standard juror questionnaire in Massachusetts clearly asks if a person has been arrested, charged with a crime, or notified of a court order. All those boxes should have been checked by this juror. 'I don’t see how, if those questions had been answered correctly, either party would have taken the risk of allowing him to sit on the jury,' Coyne said. In addition to the aforementioned allegations, housing court records show that the dissenting juror has not paid his monthly rent since last March. While jurors were deliberating last week, the landlord obtained a judgment for over $12,000 in unpaid rent and is moving forward with the eviction process, according to court records. When the Clancy trial ended without a verdict, several jurors described how the dissenting member refused to participate in deliberations. They called him 'arrogant' and stated that he did not interact with them. One juror described his behavior as 'shocking.' Family members of the dissenting juror claim he has been estranged from the family since the incident with his nephew. None of them were aware of his participation in the Clancy trial. One relative described him as a 'narcissist' and stated that he should never have been part of the jury in such an important case. Following these revelations, Coyne said he believes prosecutors will need to review the juror's questionnaire to determine if the information provided was truthful. 'In fact, failing to do so constitutes a crime,' he stated. NBC10 Boston reached out to the Plymouth District Attorney's Office regarding these findings, as well as to Clancy's defense team. Both parties declined to comment on Friday afternoon. Juror questionnaires are not public documents, so it is unclear whether the document in question still exists or if it was destroyed after the declaration of the mistrial. As a result, the investigative team from Telemundo New England and NBC10 Boston cannot confirm how the juror completed that questionnaire.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
