A New York jury acquitted Marine veteran Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the May 2023 death of subway performer Jordan Neely.
The verdict came after five days of deliberation and was highly anticipated, according to NBC New York.
A judge recently dismissed the manslaughter charge against Penny after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision. This meant they were not able to consider the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide until they had resolved the primary accusation.
“It really, really hurts,” Neely’s father, Andre Zachery said, sccordong to AP News.“ I had enough of this. The system is rigged.”
After the verdict, prosecutors and Penny’s attorneys made no immediately comment, while Penny hurried to a waiting car.
Last year, Penny faced charges following an incident where he put Neely in a chokehold, ultimately causing Neely’s death. According to Penny’s legal team, Neely was being disruptive and aggressive on May 1, 2023, prompting Penny to use the chokehold to restrain him.
Penny argued he didn’t intend to kill Neely, but instead, tried to protect himself and others.
Listen to a previous episode on the case below.
Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, left Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, May 12, 2023, in New York, after the judge’s decision. Penny had turned himself in at a police station earlier that day, following prosecutors announcing the charges against him in connection with the death of Jordan Neely on May 1. [Feature Photo: AP Photo/Brittainy Newman]
