Trial to start for Daniel Penny after chokehold death of Jordan Neely on NYC subway

Daniel Penny's trial in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely is set to begin Monday in New York City.

A widely shared video of a former Marine wrapping his arms around a man’s neck and restraining him in a chokehold until he died on the floor of a New York City subway car will play a key role in the trial of Daniel Penny, who is charged in the death of Jordan Neely.

Both Penny’s attorneys and those prosecuting him say they will use the four-minute video to bolster their arguments in a case that became a flashpoint in the nation’s long-standing debate over racial justice and, closer to home, the safety of the city’s subway system.

Attorneys for Penny, 26, who is white, say their client did not apply enough pressure for the hold to be deadly, while prosecutors argue he used excessive force to take the life of Neely, a 30-year-old Black man who worked as a Michael Jackson impersonator.

Jury selection in Penny’s trial begins Monday. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide and faces a maximum of 19 years in prison if convicted.

The New York City chief medical examiner’s office found that Neely died from compression to his neck as a result of the chokehold, and the manner was homicide.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trial-start-man-accused-chokehold-death-nyc-subway-rcna175949

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