Daniel Penny‘s manslaughter trial for the death of Jordan Neely has gripped the nation. The case has divided many — some have argued that the killing was intentional and that it exemplified racism, as Penny is white and Neely was black; others have defended Penny for allegedly protecting himself and other subway riders against a homeless man behaving erratically on a train. After Penny’s manslaughter charge was dropped, the jury reached a verdict about the criminally negligent homicide charge.
Find out the verdict in Penny’s manslaughter trial, below.
What Did Daniel Penny Do?
Penny was accused of recklessly choking Neely to death on an F train subway in New York City in May 2023. A video revealing the chokehold made the rounds on social media. It showed Penny and Neely on the ground of the subway car, with Penny locking his arms around Neely’s neck. Neely died after the incident.
What Are Daniel Penny’s Charges?
Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. He pleaded not guilty to both charges. Penny appeared in a video to defend his actions, claiming that Neely made “three main threats” in the subway car.
“The three main threats that he repeated over and over [from Neely] was, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ ‘I’m prepared to go to jail for life,’ and ‘I’m willing to die,’” Penny alleged. “I was scared for myself, but I looked around, I saw women and children. He was yelling in their faces. … I didn’t want to be put in that situation, but I couldn’t just sit still and let him carry out these threats.”
Penny further denied that he intentionally killed Neely, adding, “Some people say I was trying to choke him to death, which is also not true. I was trying to restrain him. You can see in the video, there’s a clear rise and fall of his chest. I didn’t see a Black man threatening passengers. I saw a man threatening passengers, a lot of whom were people of color.”
Daniel Penny’s Manslaughter Trial Updates
Following days of deliberation, the jury could not unanimously agree on a verdict. One of Penny’s defense attorneys, Thomas Kenniff, said in a statement, “The jury has been deliberating for roughly 20 hours over four days in what is, in many ways, a factually uncomplicated case as far as this is an event that transpired over minutes on video. We are concerned that the giving of the Allen charge under these circumstances will be coercive.”
According to NBC News, the jury was scheduled to return to deliberation on December 9. The judge dismissed the second-degree manslaughter charge. The charge would have resulted in up to 15 years in prison if he was found guilty.
On December 9, the jury reached a verdict on Penny, ruling that he was not guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Penny was acquitted as a result since the judge dismissed the manslaughter charge.
After the verdict was read aloud in court, Neely’s father had to be escorted out of the room because of an outburst, CNN reported.
What Does a Hung Jury Mean?
A hung jury, which is also known as a “deadlocked jury,” happens when a jury cannot unanimously reach a verdict after deliberation.
