Why Daniel Penny Was Found ‘Not Guilty’ In Jordan Neely’s Chokehold Death | REVEALED

Daniel Penny was found not guilty of the death of homeless man Jordan Neely on a New York City subway in 2023. After the judge decided to drop manslaughter charge on Friday, the jury returned on Monday to decide if the Marine veteran was guilty of homicide. The panelists acquitted Penny of criminally negligent homicide and other charges that could have sent him to four years behind bars.

Why Daniel Penny Was Found Not Guilty | Arguements Explained

While the medical examiner found that Penny’s chokehold killed Neely, the defense argued that the homeless Black man died from a genetic condition and the synthetic marijuana found in his system. Defense attorney Steven Raiser told jurors that the Marine veteran ‘acted to save’ subway passengers from a ‘violent and desperate’ Neely. They added that the victim was acting erratically and ‘scared the living daylights out of everybody’.

The defense concluded that Penny acted in self-defense.

Prosecutors said Penny recklessly squeezed Neely’s neck too hard and for too long. Jurors also saw a bystander’s video that captured the incident. The responding officers’ body camera videos, and police video of Penny’s subsequent station house interview with detectives were also presented.

The judge on Monday denied a new motion for a mistrial by Penny’s defense lawyers.

“There is no way to cure the legal error that we believe very strongly happened on Friday, and we are renewing our motion for a mistrial on the remaining count two,” Daniel Penny’s attorney Thomas Kenniff said.