As if there wasn't enough drama in the manslaughter case of Daniel Penny, a wild scene unfolded Thursday in the hallway outside the courtroom.
As the court went into its morning recess and waited for people to come out, supporters of Jordan Neely (the man who was strangled to death by Penny on the F train) began speaking loudly in the bleachers. The court was prompted. The officer instructed him to save the conversation in the hallway outside the courtroom.
Instead of politely following the officers' instructions, the supporters escalated the situation.
Once inside the Manhattan Supreme Court hallway, the man began yelling at officers to “fuck the rules.”
A defiant Neely acolyte then continued to boldly rant and scream at court officials, who remained calm as they scrummed around them.
The argument continued for several minutes and he eventually walked away.
The uncontrollable verbal outbursts were part of a pattern of destructive behavior during the third day of the manslaughter trial.
Earlier, during the testimony of bystander Moriera Sanchez, a woman in the audience broke down in tears and had to be escorted out. But her sobs could be heard from the courtroom.
Another cried when Neely's photo was shown to the jury.
In response, Judge Maxwell Wylie gently reminded the audience that they should not respond visually or audibly. The jury in this case is entitled to that. ”
But the entire trial, in which Penny, 26, faces up to 15 years in prison for second-degree manslaughter in the death of an insane homeless man, is a circus of activism. It became clear. Justice is just an afterthought.
Ultimately, Penny was indicted 11 days after the incident — over the protests of politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other advocates who demanded Penny's scalp in the racially charged case. Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg, who hates prosecution, agreed.
It is fitting that prosecutors also called Johnny Grima, a former homeless man and self-proclaimed activist with immigrants and the homeless, to the stand.
Grima testified that he had come from Tompkins Square that day before taking the F train uptown, where he was “checking on the homeless and doing his rounds.”
He was in another train and happened to come across the scene while the train was stopped at the station. He suggested putting Penny on her side so she wouldn't suffocate while sleeping on her back. He then tried to intervene by pouring water on Neely's forehead to arouse the man, but Penny refused, he said.
“I was already feeling it somehow, [Penny]. I didn't like him,” Grima said. “It's like an abuser abusing someone and not letting anyone get close to the person being abused.”
Grima was quite talkative during questioning by prosecutors, but when it was his turn to speak to defense attorney Thomas Kenniff, he became combative, rude and mean.
Grima, his obvious hatred for Penny showing on his face like a badge of honor, repeatedly claims that Penny “murdered” Neely. that he was “cheating” [Neely’s] The limbs were moving around carelessly as Penny explained that she was trying to move Penny to her side.
Meanwhile, Kenniff forced Grima to admit that some of his testimony contradicted previous grand jury testimony.
However, Grima's appearance was a clear display of prejudice. A man with a troubled past and clear intentions. There is surprisingly little intervention by judges.
After the jury left, Kenniff asked the judge to declare a mistrial.
“Given what has happened over the last few days, there is no longer any way for my client to obtain anything resembling a fair trial at this time,” Kenniff said.
I don't think he can either. That's not possible in this climate.
