The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 9th that a white youth who tried to subdue a mentally ill black homeless man on a New York subway and ended up dying was found not guilty in court.
According to the report, the Manhattan Criminal Court jury in New York found Daniel Penny (26), a former Marine who was charged with manslaughter, not guilty on that day.
Penny was accused of killing Jordan Neely (30 years old at the time) by subduing him in a headlock while he was causing a commotion on a New York City subway train in May of last year. The jury previously deliberated on Penny’s guilt on the charge of gross negligence homicide on the 6th, but ultimately failed to reach a consensus. The jury must reach a unanimous verdict to reach a guilty verdict.
The presiding judge asked the jury to consider the lesser charge of negligent homicide, which carries a lower sentence than gross negligence homicide, and the jury ultimately found Penny not guilty.
At the time of the incident last year, conservatives in the United States called Penny the “Subway Samaritan,” and criticized that his indictment would prevent other Samaritans from intervening in dangerous situations.
On the other hand, there was also criticism that Penny’s subduing was clearly an excessive response, and that the police’s decision to release him immediately after the incident was an act of racism.
When it was revealed that the deceased homeless person, Neely, was on the “Top 50” list of subway watchdogs that New York City was closely watching, criticism grew that the city’s failure to manage the incident was the root cause of the incident.