Arrr, the New York judge be settin' a date for Daniel Penny's trial in the subway chokehold plunderin'!
2024-03-20
Avast ye! 'Tis been declared by a Manhattan judge that Daniel Penny be put on trial for the demise of Jordan Neely. Prepare yerselves for a long voyage, mateys, as the proceedings be set to last betwixt four and six weeks come autumn. Arrr!
A Manhattan judge has scheduled an Oct. 8 trial for Daniel Penny, the Marine Corps veteran and college student charged with manslaughter in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, who stormed onto a subway train and threatened passengers in May. The trial is expected to take four to six weeks, attorneys said in court Wednesday. Penny, 24, allegedly told police an "irate" Neely "was threatening everybody" and ranting about going to prison, according to court documents. One witness called Penny a "hero" and said she was afraid of what Neely might do. Another witness, who recorded the widely-circulated video of the incident, told the New York Post he did not think Neely was in danger as Penny and another man held him down. Neely had a documented history of mental illness and a criminal record, which included prior subway assaults. Penny cooperated with police and was initially released, but he turned himself in 11 days later when District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office charged him with manslaughter. Lennon Edwards, the attorney for Neely's family, said outside the courthouse that the slain man was unarmed at the time of the incident. Penny faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted on the second-degree manslaughter charge. Transit crime has continued to plague New York City following Neely's death. Last week, a man died on a Brooklyn subway car after he threatened another passenger with a gun and a knife, according to authorities. Prosecutors there did not seek charges against the surviving passenger.