US ex-Marine Daniel Penny pleads not guilty in fatal chokehold of homeless man on subway

US Marine Veteran Daniel Penny on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in the deadly chokehold of a man who was allegedly behaving aggressively in a subway car. The 24-year-old marine has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide with regard to the May 1 incident, which resulted in the death of a homeless man named Jordan Neely.

Penny was indicted by a grand jury on June 14. He is currently out on a $100,000 bail and will next appear in court on October 25.

Conflicting accounts by police and Penny’s lawyers

Conflicting accounts have emerged over Neely’s behaviour on the New York subway car. According to Penny’s lawyers, Penny put Neely in a fatal chokehold only after he felt severely threatened. According to Penny, the victim shouted, “I’m gonna’ kill you” and said he was “ready to die” or go to jail for life. “He was yelling in their faces saying these threats,” Penny said in a video released by his attorneys. “I just couldn’t sit still.”

However, as per police sources quoted by ABC News, Penny was not specifically threatened by Neely and the latter “had not become violent and had not been threatening anyone in particular.”

Defence attorneys representing the US marine expressed optimism outside the court regarding the possibility of their client being acquitted. Defence attorney Thomas Keniff stated, “We are a long way off from trial, but all the evidence we’ve seen is that our client acted under the law.”

Neely’s family strongly criticises Penny

On the other hand, Neely's family and supporters strongly criticised Penny and expressed their hope for justice. Attorney Dante Mills, who represents the Neely family, highlighted that Daniel Penny lacked the courage to face Jordan's father directly.

Despite the indictment, Penny's attorney, Steven Raiser, maintained confidence in his client's actions. Raiser acknowledged the grand jury's decision to proceed with the case but emphasised that the standard of proof in a grand jury is relatively low and no wrongdoing has been established. Raiser expressed confidence that once a trial jury is presented with the evidence, they will deem Penny's actions on the train fully justified.

Watch:US Marine veteran surrenders to police over fatal choking of NY homeless man

Attorneys representing Neely's family lauded the grand jury's choice to indict Penny.

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