Former US Marine Daniel Penny turned himself in on Friday morning to face second-degree manslaughter charges after a video surfaced showing him putting a homeless man, Jordan Neely, in a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway train.
Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator, died after being choked by Penny earlier this month.
The lawyer for Daniel Penny, Thomas Kenniff, confirmed his client's surrender to the authorities and expected him to be arraigned later in the day, CBS News reported.
Penny's attorneys claimed that he and other passengers acted in self-defense after Neely allegedly threatened them. However, Neely's family believes that Penny's actions led to his untimely death and that he should be held accountable for his actions.
Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, in a chokehold aboard a Manhattan subway train when the latter started ranting about how he was starving, thirsty, and had little to make a living for. After being transported to a hospital, Neely was subsequently declared deceased.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death of Jordan Neely a homicide, which doesn't necessarily indicate intent or culpability.
A witness who recorded the incident said Neely had been acting erratically but had not attacked anyone on the train before being restrained, according to CNN.
Subway Chokehold Case Highlights Need to Improve Mental Health Services
According to military and law enforcement records, Daniel Penny is a former US Marine who served as a sergeant from 2017 to 2021, with his last duty assignment at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, as per the BBC.
Penny's mother, Christie Neely, was murdered by her boyfriend in 2007, and her killer was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2012, as reported by the Jersey Journal. Following this tragedy, Neely began to suffer from mental health issues, according to his aunt, Carolyn Neely, who spoke with the New York Post.
Over the years, Jordan Neely had been arrested 42 times on various charges, including theft, evading fares, and assaulting three women, as per reports by US media.
Neely's death has sparked protests and brought renewed attention to the issues of homelessness and mental illness in the United States.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has commented on the case, emphasizing the need for improvement in the mental health system to better protect individuals like Neely.
