TRUE CRIME NEWSThe View's Alyssa Farah Griffin Thinks Lindsay Clancy Is Criminally Responsible as Sunny Hostin Disagrees
'The View' panel tackled the divisive Lindsay Clancy case after her murder trial ended with a lone holdout juror and a mistrial.
Sept. 23 2026, Updated 3:22 p.m. ET
Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sunny Hostin are on opposite sides of the debate surrounding Lindsay Clancy's criminal responsibility.
The View co-hosts discussed the Massachusetts mother's high-profile murder case during the Tuesday, September 22, episode, with Hostin saying she believes Clancy was not criminally responsible because of her mental state. Farah Griffin took issue with how the insanity defense can operate under the law.
Sunny Hostin Believes Lindsay Clancy Was Not Criminally Responsible
Sunny Hostin drew on her experience as a former federal prosecutor while explaining why she believes Clancy was not criminally responsible.
Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, made her position clear while discussing the case with Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Joy Behar and guest co-host Star Jones.
"I thought absolutely she was not criminally responsible by reason of insanity," Hostin said.
Clancy's defense argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023. Eleven jurors ultimately favored finding her not criminally responsible, while one juror disagreed.
Alyssa Farah Griffin Takes Issue With Insanity Defense
Alyssa Farah Griffin challenged the way the insanity defense operates as the co-hosts debated how mental illness should factor into criminal responsibility.
Farah Griffin expressed a different perspective during the conversation.
As Hostin explained how a defendant can be found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, Farah Griffin responded, "That's my issue with the law."
Her reaction came as the panel debated the difficult question of how mental illness should factor into criminal responsibility in cases such as Clancy's.
Sunny Hostin Reveals She Was Once a Holdout Juror
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Sunny Hostin revealed she was once the long holdout juror in the 1991 Daniel Rakowitz murder trial before the jury ultimately reached a unanimous verdict.
Hostin then surprised her co-hosts by revealing her own experience as a holdout juror in the 1991 trial of Daniel Rakowitz, known as the "Butcher of Tompkins Square Park."
Hostin said she initially prevented the jury from returning a guilty verdict because she believed Rakowitz was experiencing psychosis.
"That was me," she said of being the holdout. "And it was because I saw clearly that he was psychotic."
Alyssa Farah Griffin Is Shocked by Sunny Hostin's Revelation
Alyssa Farah Griffin appeared stunned by Sunny Hostin's revelation, prompting a sprinted exchange between the two 'View' co-hosts.
Farah Griffin couldn't hide her surprise as Hostin described the disturbing details of the case.
"And you got this guy off?!" she exclaimed before Hostin explained that Rakowitz had dismembered the victim, Monika Beerle.
Hostin pushed back on that characterization, explaining that the jury eventually voted unanimously to find Rakowitz not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. She noted that he remains in a psychiatric institution.
Lindsay Clancy's Case Remains Unresolved
Lindsay Clancy's case remained unresolved after 11 jurors favored finding her not criminally responsible while one juror disagreed.
Clancy's case ended in a mistrial on September 4 after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
The lone holdout, Michael Desronvil, has since said he had "no doubts" Clancy was responsible and believed the prosecution presented enough evidence to show she knew what she was doing.
Clancy's attorneys have now asked a judge to investigate allegations surrounding Desronvil's conduct during deliberations and dismiss the case. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will retry Clancy.
Hostin, however, cautioned against scrutinizing a juror simply for reaching a different conclusion, calling jury service "one of the most important things" she has ever done.
