Ex-Marine Daniel Penny Indicted in Jordan Neely Chokehold Death; MAGA Compares Indictment to Trump's

Ex-Marine Daniel Penny was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury following the death of homeless man Jordan Neely during a transit confrontation last month.

The exact offenses will not be made public until Penny, age 24, appears in court at a later date, which is anticipated to be on July 17. He was initially charged with manslaughter in the second degree.

Daniel Penny Indicted in Fatal Chocking of Jordan Neely

Penny is presently out on a bond of $100,000. On May 12, nearly two weeks after the fatal incident, he turned himself into law enforcement officials. In an incident that prompted protests across New York on May 1, Penny placed homeless schizophrenic Jordan Neely in a chokehold on an F-train. Neely lost consciousness and ultimately passed away.

The decision of the grand jury allows Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to proceed with Penny's trial, where she could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Penny's attorneys have asserted that their client acted in self-defense, according to Daily Mail.

According to eyewitnesses, Neely, who had previously been incarcerated approximately 40 times, was shouting, yelling, and threatening other passengers on the F train. For Penny's legal defense, a GiveSendGo campaign has raised over $2.8 million.

Penny's attorneys have asserted that their client acted in self-defense. The city's medical examiner declared Neely's death a homicide and cited "neck compression" as the cause of death. Following the death of the troubled homeless man, Neely's family has pressed for Penny to be charged with murder. Neely, who was destitute at the time of his demise, had a lengthy history of documented mental health problems.

It is unclear with which if any, family members he communicated prior to his death. It is unknown whether any of his previous arrests for violent transit incidents resulted in convictions. Penny stated in a video statement released over the weekend that he did not intend to murder Neely when he seized him, but that he could not remain passive while Neely threatened other passengers.

MAGA Supporters React

Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans are outraged by Daniel Penny's indictment, comparing the 24-year-old Marine veteran to former President Donald Trump. Initial responses to Penny, a white man, murdering Neely, a 30-year-old Black street performer with a history of homelessness and mental illness, were infused with political and racial undertones.

Per Newsweek, some compared Neely's death to the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, which prompted enormous "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations across the nation and the globe.

Political interpretations of the decision to prosecute Penny dominated Wednesday's reactions to the indictment, with a significant number of Trump supporters comparing it to the "persecution" of the ex-president.

Earlier this year, a grand jury convened by Bragg indicted Trump on 34 felony counts; 37 additional felony counts were added by a federal grand jury last week.

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