A New York City jury on Monday found Marine veteran Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway car in 2023.
CBS News reports Penny, 26, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
The judge dismissed the second-degree manslaughter charge against Penny on Friday after jurors said they could not come to a unanimous decision.
Penny’s lawyers said he was protecting himself and other subway passengers from a volatile, mentally ill man who was making alarming remarks and gestures. The defense also disputed a city medical examiner’s finding that the chokehold killed Neely.
Prosecutors said Penny reacted far too forcefully to someone he perceived as a peril, not a person.
The jury panel could only consider the negligent homicide charge if Penny was…
