December 9th 2024.
A jury in New York City has reached a verdict in the case of former Marine Daniel Penny, who was charged with the killing of subway passenger Jordan Neely. According to reports, the jury found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide, the charge that was brought against him after he placed Neely in a deadly chokehold that ultimately led to his death on the subway.
The verdict was reached after the judge dismissed the original manslaughter charge on December 6, when the jurors informed the judge that they could not come to a unanimous decision. This left Penny facing a charge of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter, but ultimately, he was found not guilty and is now a free man.
Following the announcement of the verdict, Neely's father, Andre Zachary, expressed his disappointment in the jury's decision. He spoke of his grief and the pain of losing his son, and questioned the fairness of the justice system. He stated, "My son didn't have to go through this. I didn't have to go through this either. It hurts; it really, really hurts. What are we going to do, people? What's going to happen to us now? I've had enough of this. The system is rigged."
The incident in question occurred on May 1, 2023, when Neely, who was homeless, entered the subway station in Manhattan and boarded the F train. According to court documents, witnesses reported that Neely had allegedly threatened several people, but without specifically targeting anyone. Videos captured by bystanders showed that after yelling at multiple people, Penny grabbed Neely and held him in a chokehold for several minutes, even after Neely had become unresponsive.
The incident sparked outrage and protests, with many questioning why Penny, a white man, was allowed to leave the scene while Neely, a Black man, lost his life. Three days later, the medical examiner ruled Neely's death as a homicide, citing compression of the neck as the cause. Toxicology reports also revealed that Neely had synthetic marijuana in his system at the time of his death.
Penny was arrested two weeks after the incident. In a recent development, Newsweek reported that Neely's father has filed a lawsuit against Penny in New York Supreme Court, accusing him of negligence, assault, and battery, which ultimately led to the death of his son. The lawsuit seeks damages that exceed the jurisdictional limits of lower courts.
In a similar case, a man was recently convicted of manslaughter for the fatal shooting of former NFL player Will Smith. As these cases continue to make headlines, it is important to recognize the ongoing issues of racial inequality and injustice in the criminal justice system.
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