Daniel Penny, the US Marine Veteran who choked Jordan Neely, a homeless black artist with mental health problems earlier this month, on a NYC subway has surrendered to the police. He will face second-degree murder charges.
Penny, 24, was taken into custody after he turned himself in at an NYC police station and will be arraigned later on Friday.
His attorney Thomas Kenniff told the press in a statement that Penny never intended to hard Neely.
“He risked his own life and safety, for the good of his fellow passengers. The unfortunate result was the unintended and unforeseen death of Mr. Neely,” the statement said.
Amidst mounting pressure, Prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they would charge Penny with second-degree manslaughter charges for the death of Jordan Neely, 30.
Video of Penny choking Neely went viral early this month causing a national outrage.
NYC Mayor released a statement on Wednesday calling the death of Neely a tragedy and said that “[he] did not deserve to die.”
“Jordan Neely’s life mattered. He was suffering from severe mental illness, but that was not the cause of his death. His death is a tragedy that never should have happened. My heart goes out to Jordan’s family who’s suffering great pain and uncertainty about the circumstances of his death,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “No family should have to suffer a loss like this, and too many Black and Brown families bear the brunt of a system long overdue for reform.”
