Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran charged with manslaughter in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man on a New York City subway, was found not guilty or “not guilty” on Monday. was sentenced. The verdict came just days after a jury on Friday rejected the top charge, second-degree manslaughter, and settled on a lesser charge of manslaughter, telling the judge it could not agree on the case. MSNBC I will report it. Had Penny been convicted of the most serious charge, he would have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
On May 1, 2023, Neely hopped on the F train in Manhattan and told passengers he was hungry, thirsty and needed a job. He also said he wanted to go back to prison and was not afraid of dying. According to fox newsNeely also shouted death threats at the passengers, and Penny responded by approaching Neely and choking him to deter him from further actions.
Prosecutors argued that Penny strangled Neely even after he was no longer a threat, leading to Neely's death. But defense attorneys argued that Neely's health problems and drug use contributed to her death. At the time of the incident, Neely was high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2 and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Neely had a long criminal history, an active warrant for his arrest, and a history of mental illness. He also had the genetic disease sickle cell trait.
According to the jury, Penny was acquitted because prosecutors could not prove he was guilty of negligent homicide.
“The jury has now returned its verdict,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “The Manhattan Prosecutor's Office deeply respects the jury process and respects the jury's verdict.”
He also noted that prosecutors and their families were “besieged with hate and threats via social media, phone calls, and emails.”
“Simply put, this is unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone, regardless of their opinion on the matter,” Bragg said.
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