Current:Home > ScamsDaniel Penny indicted by grand jury in chokehold death of Jordan Neely on NYC subway-InfoLens
Daniel Penny indicted by grand jury in chokehold death of Jordan Neely on NYC subway
View Date:2024-12-23 10:57:11
Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran who has been charged with killing 30-year-old Jordan Neely with a chokehold on a New York City subway car on May 1, was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed the indictment on Thursday, following statements about it from the attorney for Neely's family and Penny's attorneys.
"A grand jury has returned a true bill in the case against Daniel Penny. The Supreme Court arraignment will be held on June 28," Doug Cohen, press secretary for the Manhattan DA, said in a statement. "We cannot comment further until the arraignment takes place."
Penney's attorneys said they will "aggressively defend" him when the case goes to trial.
Penny, 24, was originally charged with second degree manslaughter in May, and released on bail.
Penny maintains that Neely was behaving erratically on the train and threatening to kill fellow passengers when he moved to subdue him, according to video statements released by his attorneys. After the incident, Penny was initially questioned by police and released without being charged.
A statement released last month by Penny's attorneys said Neely had "a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness." It also said Penny "never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death."
In clips of a video interview released by his lawyers on Sunday, Penny described what he said led up to the chokehold, including alleged threats from Neely.
"The three main threats that he repeated over and over was, 'I'm going to kill you,' 'I'm prepared to go to jail for life,' and 'I'm willing to die' ... I was scared for myself, but I looked around, I saw women and children. He was yelling in their faces, saying these threats," Penny said.
Neely, who performed as a Michael Jackson impersonator, was homeless, and family members said he had struggled with mental health after losing his mother as a teen. At his funeral service on May 19, Rev. Al Sharpton said, "Jordan was screaming for help. We keep criminalizing people with mental illness."
"Daniel Penny's indictment is the right result for the wrong he committed," Neely's family said in a statement Wednesday. "The grand jury's decision tells our city and our nation that 'no one is above the law' no matter how much money they raise, no matter what affiliations they claim, and no matter what distorted stories they tell in interviews."
–Pat Milton contributed reporting.
- In:
- Jordan Neely
- Daniel Penny
- Subway
- New York
C Mandler is a social media producer and trending topics writer for CBS News, focusing on American politics and LGBTQ+ issues.
veryGood! (675)
Related
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- Target’s Latino Heritage Month Collection Has Juan Gabriel & Rebelde Tees for $16, Plus More Latino Faves
- A scenic California mountain town walloped by a blizzard is now threatened by wildfire
- Norfolk Southern Alan Shaw axed as CEO after inappropriate employee relationship revealed
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- Montana miner to lay off hundreds due to declining palladium prices
- Illia “Golem” Yefimchyk, World's “Most Monstrous” Bodybuilder, Dead at 36 After Heart Attack
- Jill Biden and the defense chief visit an Alabama base to highlight expanded military benefits
- The Stanley x LoveShackFancy Collaboration That Sold Out in Minutes Is Back for Part 2—Don’t Miss Out!
- A man pleads guilty in a shooting outside then-US Rep. Zeldin’s New York home
Ranking
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- Three people wounded in downtown Dallas shooting; police say suspect is unknown
- Prince William’s New Rough and Rugged Beard Takes the Crown
- Jon Bon Jovi helps woman in crisis off bridge ledge in Nashville
- College Football Fix podcast addresses curious CFP rankings and previews Week 12
- Eva Mendes Details What Helps When Her and Ryan Gosling’s Kids Have Anxiety
- Meet the cast of 'The Summit': 16 contestants climbing New Zealand mountains for $1 million
- Why Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Believes Janelle Brown Is Doing This to Punish Him
Recommendation
-
Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
-
Former employee of troubled Wisconsin prison pleads guilty to smuggling contraband into the prison
-
SpaceX astronaut Anna Menon reads 'Kisses in Space' to her kids in orbit: Watch
-
'I am going to die': Colorado teen shot in face while looking for homecoming photo spot
-
Georgia public universities and colleges see enrollment rise by 6%
-
Dancing With the Stars Season 33 Trailer: Anna Delvey Reveals Her Prison Connection to the Ballroom
-
'Focus on football'? Deshaun Watson, Browns condescend once again after lawsuit
-
Eva Mendes Details What Helps When Her and Ryan Gosling’s Kids Have Anxiety