Penny Pleads Not Guilty

Former Marine Daniel Penny pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide after fatally subduing Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train last month.

Neely, 30, had been reportedly acting erratically before video footage (see here, warning—sensitive content) showed Penny, 24, and two others restraining him for at least three minutes, leading to Neely's death May 1. The city's medical examiner's office said Neely died from compression of the neck. Penny has claimed his actions were out of self-defense. Neely suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues, according to his relatives.

Penny, who served in the Marines for four years before being discharged in 2021, was initially charged with manslaughter and released on a $100K bond. Earlier this month, a New York grand jury voted to indict Penny on revised charges. Penny will return to court in October. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and four years for negligent homicide.