Daniel Penny acquitted in New York subway choking death of Jordan Neely
Al Jazeera
Viral videos of Neely’s death raised questions about race relations, social services and excessive force in the US.
A court in Manhattan has found US military veteran Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide for subduing a fellow subway passenger, Jordan Neely, in a chokehold until his death.
The verdict on Monday in New York City comes after days of deliberations. Criminally negligent homicide carries a possible sentence of up to four years in prison.
Initially, the jury was asked to consider the more serious charge of manslaughter, which carried the possibility of 15 years in prison, but after a deadlock, Judge Maxwell Wiley gave the go-ahead to consider negligent homicide instead.
The decision is the culmination of seven weeks of trial, wherein jurors heard two different versions of events.
Penny’s defence team argued the veteran was simply trying to protect his fellow passengers when Neely started to act in an erratic manner. But prosecutors argued Penny behaved recklessly, choking Neely for more than six minutes despite clear indications that Neely was dying.
