On Monday, Marine veteran Daniel Penny was found not guilty in the strangling death of homeless subway passenger Jordan Neely, sparking outrage among liberals on social media.
A Manhattan jury found Penny not guilty of manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. The more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter, which carried a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, was dismissed by Judge Maxwell Wiley last week after jurors twice told the court the matter was deadlocked.
Penny, a 26-year-old Marine Corps veteran and architecture student, was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for allegedly suffocating Neely to death on a Manhattan subway car in May 2023. Neely is a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia. There was an active arrest warrant in place at the time, which stated, “K2.''During this incident, Penny grabbed Neely from behind in a chokehold, which resulted in Neely's subsequent death.
This high-profile case sparked a debate about public safety, mental illness, and homelessness in New York City's subways. Penny's defense argued that he was protecting people on the subway who were threatened by Neely's verbal abuse, and prosecutors argued that Penny's actions were so forceful that they led to Neely's death.
Daniel Penny murder charges dropped due to weekend jury recess
Daniel Penny was acquitted by a Manhattan jury on Monday. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
Liberal commentators reacted to Monday's jury verdict, suggesting racism and prejudice against the homeless and poor influenced the jury's decision.
“Imagine if Jordan Neely were white and Daniel Penny was black. Imagine what the people defending Penny would be saying right now. Just imagine.” Former MSNBC anchor Written by Mehdi Hasan.
“Everything leading up to and after Daniel Penny's lynching of Jordan Neely on the New York City subway could and should have been prevented.” tiffany baga member of the New York City Council District 22 in Queens, New York, wrote about Blue Sky.
“Jordan Neely deserved better than the violence of being denied stable housing, access to health care, and therefore dehumanized. Extrajudicial white supremacist violence against Black people. “Jordan Neely deserves more than a system that condones and legitimizes him,” she added. .
“Jordan Neely was 30 years old and had struggled with mental illness, drug addiction, and homelessness. He was performing on the New York City subway, Danial Perry. [sic] suffocated Mr. Neely. A judge, not a jury, found Penny not guilty. I don’t understand,” says the actress and activist. Also written by Mia Farrow. In her response, she pointed out that Penny is white and Neely is black.
Daniel Penny trial: Key evidence jurors were asked to see again during deliberations
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 24: Supporters of NYPD Officer Jordan Neely protest a rally in support of Daniel Penny at Collect Pond Park on May 24, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“It's not that it was really necessary, but it's a confirmation that our society doesn't see homeless people as human beings,” said Jack Markinson, senior editor at The Nation. I wrote to Blue Sky.
Brooklyn Dad Defiant, a popular account with more than 385,000 followers, wrote, “Now we know that Daniel Penny is on the run after murdering Jordan Neely, a mentally ill and homeless black man. So there's a lot of hysteria going on on Twitter, and it's making me angry. It's disgusting.” Posted in Blue Sky.
“That Daniel Penny and Daniel Perry, Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman are roaming free in the most brutal country in the world is a cause for reflection,” the activist said. Written by Joe Katz.
Tim Wise, senior fellow at the African American Policy Forum, said: “Daniel Penny is a racist, classist, ableist murderer. What the courts will or won't do to him. Regardless, he should be forever held in disgrace,” he posted on X after the judge's ruling. It dismissed the more serious charges against Penny. post It garnered over 4 million views over the weekend.
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A demonstration against Daniel Penny takes place outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Penny is charged in connection with the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway. (John M. Mantel, FOX News Digital)
Several other Blue Sky liberals drew a connection between Penny's acquittal and the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“Maybe we can call off the hunt for the CEO assassin, vigilante murder is legal in New York.” Another Bluesky account Approximately 47,000 followers are posting.
Black Lives Matter activists in New York had previously threatened to protest if Penny was acquitted.
After Penny's acquittal, New York BLM co-founder Hawk Newsom told reporters“We need black vigilantes.”
“People are going to jump up and strangle us and kill us? When they try to oppress us, why don't we do the same?” he added.
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FOX News' Michael Lewis, CB Cotton and Grace Taggart contributed to this report.
