Daniel Penny trial: Timeline of events in NYC chokehold case
NEW YORK CITY - The country is still awaiting a verdict in the trial of Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran accused of recklessly choking to death Jordan Neely, a homeless man yelling at passengers last year on a New York City subway.
JUMP TO: TIMELINE OF EVENTS l CHARGES l ABOUT THE TRIAL
The killing of Neely, a 30-year-old Black man, by Penny, a 26-year-old white man, has sparked vigorous debate among NYC residents about race relations, public safety and approaches to homelessness and mental illness.
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What happens if Daniel Penny is found guilty?
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Here's a timeline of events of how we got here:
Timeline of events
May 1, 2023: Daniel Penny places Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold.
May 10, 2023: New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that the death of Jordan Neely at the hands of a fellow subway rider was "a tragedy that never should have happened" and pledged to do more to help people experiencing mental health crises.
May 11, 2023: Penny turns himself in to the Manhattan District attorney’s office.
May 20, 2023: Republican presidential hopefuls line up to support Penny.
June 15, 2023: A grand jury indicted Penny.
June 28, 2023: Penny pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide during his arraignment.
Jan. 17, 2024: A judge declined to dismiss the case against Penny.
Oct 21, 2024: Jury selection begins.
Nov 1, 2024: Jurors have heard opening statements in the trial.
Dec. 2, 2024: Closing arguments begin.
What charges does Penny face?
Penny faces second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges.
What happens if Penny is found guilty?
If the jury finds Penny guilty, he could face up to 15 years in prison. There is no minimum sentence. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also reached out to FOX 5 NY to report that there is also no mandatory prison sentence for Penny’s charges, but it is unclear how that could affect sentencing.
What happened on May 1, 2023?
On May 1, 2023, Penny had left class and boarded an uptown F train in Manhattan to head to the gym. Neely was on board the train, and witnesses said he was shouting about needing food and something to drink before whipping his jacket to the floor and starting to scream. They differed in descriptions of his movements and whether they were threatening.
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Penny stepped in and approached Neely from behind. With the help of two other passengers, Penny pinned Neely to the ground and placed him in a chokehold until Neely’s body went limp and he lost consciousness. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide caused by compression of the neck.
The train stopped at the Broadway-Lafayette Street station in Manhattan, allowing passengers to get off, but Penny did not let go.
Prosecutors and the defense both agree that Penny had the right to step in, but prosecutors argue that Penny used too much force on an unarmed man.
What do prosecutors say?
Prosecutor Dafna Yoran told jurors at the start of summations Monday that Daniel Penny used too much force for too long on Neely, holding him a chokehold for nearly six minutes. Prosecutors argued that he could have released Neely after passengers stepped off the train at the station, once he was no longer a threat to others.
What did the defense say?
Defense lawyer Steven Raiser says Penny acted to save subway riders from threatening behavior. They argued that Penny held onto Neely until police arrived so they could take him into custody.
Attorneys for Daniel Penny join GDNY
Jury selection is expected to begin in the criminal trial of Daniel Penny, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran accused of placing homeless man Jordan Neely in a deadly chokehold last year on a NYC subway train. Penny’s attorneys, Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff, joined Good Day New York on Monday morning.
They also claim that the chokehold was not what killed Penny, instead arguing that schizophrenia, synthetic marijuana use and sickle cell trait led to his death.
Who is Daniel Penny?
Daniel Penny is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from West Islip, Long Island. He served in the Marines for four years and was discharged in 2021.
Daniel Penny leaves the courtroom for a lunch break in New York, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
At the time of Neely’s death, Penny was studying architecture.
Who was Jordan Neely?
Jordan Neely, 30, once was among the city's corps of subway and street performers and was known for his Michael Jackson impersonations.
Jordan Neely is pictured before going to see the Michael Jackson movie, "This is It," outside the Regal Cinemas in Times Square in 2009. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
But after his mother was violently killed when he was a teenager, Neely was diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia, was repeatedly hospitalized, struggled with drug abuse and had a criminal record that included assault convictions.
What happened during the trial?
During the monthlong trial, the jury heard testimony from subway passengers who witnessed Penny's roughly six-minute restraint of Neely, as well as police who responded to it, pathologists, a psychiatric expert, a Marine Corps instructor who taught Penny chokehold techniques and Penny's relatives, friends and fellow Marines. Penny chose not to testify.
Jurors watched videos recorded by bystanders and by police body cameras and saw how Penny explained his actions to officers on the scene and later in a stationhouse interview room.