NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection was set to begin Monday in the criminal trial of the U.S. Marine Corps veteran charged with manslaughter for placing a man in a deadly chokehold on a New York City subway train last year.
Daniel Penny, now 25, is accused of “recklessly causing the death” of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old former street performer who witnesses say was acting erratically on the train on May 1, 2023, when Penny moved to restrain him.
The Manhattan court proceedings, which are expected to last six weeks, will place a spotlight back on a case that sparked debate and division locally and across the country.
Protesters took to the streets to demand that authorities arrest Penny — who is white; Neely was Black — while others rallied in support outside the courthouse once he was charged. The case also became a cause celebre among Republican presidential hopefuls.
Penny, who served four years in the Marines before being discharged in 2021, has been free on a $100,000 bond. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of second-degree manslaughter and up to four years if convicted of criminally negligent homicide.