Man pleads not guilty after stranglehold death of homeless man in New York
Daniel Penny
© AFP
The man charged in the stranglehold death of a homeless man on the New York subway has pleaded not guilty in court. Ex-soldier Daniel Penny denied the allegations against him in a Manhattan court on Wednesday, a spokesman for the prosecutor said.
The 24-year-old is charged with so-called second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. If convicted of second-degree manslaughter, the more serious charge, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely, who had previously made money as a Michael Jackson impersonator, captured on cellphone video, sparked outrage and protests in early May. According to witnesses, the African American had started yelling at passengers on a subway. However, he is said not to have physically attacked anyone. Passenger Penny overpowered Neely and held him in a chokehold for minutes while lying on the ground.
Neely lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The forensic medicine classified the case as death by third-party negligence, the cause of death was therefore a compression of the neck.
The death of the homeless man, who his family said was suffering from mental health issues, made national headlines. Activists and left-wing MPs called for the arrest of Penny, who was initially released after being questioned by the police.
But there are also voices that defend the former marines. Accordingly, Penny intervened with civil courage to avert danger from other passengers. For his legal fees, donations of more than 2.9 million dollars (around 2.7 million euros) have already been collected via an online platform.
Penny herself has expressed regret over Neely’s death in an interview. He also denied any racist motivation. The 24-year-old is currently out on bail.
AFP
#Subjects
2023-06-28 16:33:50
#Man #pleads #guilty #stranglehold #death #homeless #man #York
