A former US Marine has been acquitted in the chokehold death of a homeless man on the New York subway, a controversial case that underscores issues of race, mental health, and public safety in the largest city in America.
Daniel Penny, 26, who is white, received a not guilty verdict from a jury on the charge of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old Black man, following a highly publicized trial.
After three days of deliberation, the jury had previously reached an impasse concerning a more serious charge of manslaughter.
“The jury has now made its decision,” stated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after the verdict, which sparked outrage from Mr. Neely’s family present in the courtroom and applause from supporters of Mr. Penny.
Mr. Neely’s death on a subway train in New York on May 1, 2023, was captured on video by bystanders and circulated widely on social media platforms.
In the moments leading up to the incident, witnesses reported that Mr. Neely had been shouting at commuters for food and drink, expressing a willingness to die.
The footage revealed Mr. Penny holding Mr. Neely, who had a documented history of mental illness, in a chokehold on the train floor for several minutes.
Beyond the racial dynamics, the case also spotlighted two pressing concerns in New York: the mental illnesses affecting individuals on the streets and the anxieties residents face regarding safety in public transit.
Following Mr. Neely’s death, protests erupted across New York, leading to multiple arrests, with some labeling Mr. Penny’s actions as an instance of white “vigilantism.”
Black Lives Matter demonstrators rallied daily outside the downtown courthouse where Mr. Penny’s trial took place.
While many users on social media criticized the degree of force employed by Mr. Penny, others expressed their concerns about safety on New York’s subway system.
The city’s medical examiner determined that Mr. Neely’s death was caused by neck compression, categorizing it as a homicide.
This determination of cause was hotly contested during the trial, with Mr. Penny’s legal team attributing it to substance abuse and a genetic disorder.
In his statement, Mr. Bragg also noted that prosecutors and their families had been “bombarded with hate and threats – through social media, phone calls, and emails” during the proceedings.
“In simple terms, this is intolerable, and everyone, regardless of their stance on this case, should denounce it,” Mr. Bragg remarked.
