Jordan Neely’s household and their attorneys just lately prompt that Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old Marine veteran who put Neely in a deadly chokehold, ought to face extra extreme fees.
Neely, a 30-year-old Black homeless man, was using the F prepare in New York on Could 1 when Penny, with the assistance of different subway riders, positioned him in a chokehold. Witnesses mentioned Neely had been “yelling” about not having meals and water previous to Penny’s intervention.
On Thursday, Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter almost two weeks after Neely’s demise, which had been dominated a murder by a medical expert. If discovered responsible of manslaughter, Penny may face a 5 to 25-year jail sentence.
However the Neely household attorneys consider the present fees are inadequate.
“Is that sufficient for somebody who choked anyone out on a prepare and took their life?” Lennon Edwards, one of many Neely household attorneys, mentioned on the information convention on Friday.
“Justice seems to be like a conviction for homicide,” Edwards said.
“We want a full cup of justice right here, and we’re asking for us to proceed to press ahead till that occurs,” Edwards added.
Following the incident, Penny was questioned by the police however was then launched, prompting days of protests demanding accountability and justice.
Edwards mentioned he and Neely’s household spoke with the district lawyer previous to Penny’s arraignment, who informed them there was “no timeline for an arrest” as a result of the proof was nonetheless being gathered. Nevertheless, an arraignment may happen “perhaps in June,” based on Edwards.
“We informed them that there’s sufficient proof already for an arrest. There’s sufficient info already for the method of justice to start,” Edwards mentioned through the information convention.
Witnesses informed the police that earlier than Penny’s involvement, Neely behaved erratically and screamed about starvation and tiredness.
“The person obtained on the subway automobile and started to say a considerably aggressive speech, saying he was hungry, he was thirsty, that he didn’t care about something, he didn’t care about going to jail, he didn’t care that he will get an enormous life sentence,” Juan Alberto Vazquez, who captured the incident on video, informed NBC New York. “That ‘It doesn’t even matter if I died.’”
On Could 6, Penny and his attorneys launched a assertion claiming Neely had a “documented historical past of violent and erratic habits” and Penny, together with different passengers, had “acted to guard themselves” after Neely started “aggressively threatening” them.
“Daniel by no means meant to hurt Mr. Neely and couldn’t have foreseen his premature demise,” the attorneys mentioned within the assertion.
However witnesses informed prosecutors that Neely didn’t assault anybody, CBS Information stories.
“Nobody on that prepare requested Jordan, ‘What’s incorrect? How can I show you how to?’ He was choked to demise as an alternative,” Donte Mills, one other Neely household lawyer, mentioned on the information convention.
Penny turned himself in on Friday and was launched after posting bond later that day, NPR stories. In an announcement, Penny’s attorneys maintained that he had “stepped in to guard himself and his fellow New Yorkers” on the day of the incident and that they’re assured he can be “totally absolved of any wrongdoing.”
The Manhattan District Lawyer’s Workplace will share proof with the grand jury, which can be used to find out whether or not Penny needs to be indicted for manslaughter or different fees, based on NPR. Penny is predicted to look in courtroom in July.
“[Penny] can not rewrite how the story ends,” Edwards mentioned. “The story ends together with his arms wrapped round Jordan’s neck, choking him to demise, and that’s what he has to pay for.”