The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has just announced their decision to charged former Marine Daniel Penny with the death of street entertainer Jordan Neely as early as Friday. The cries for Neely’s killer was echoed around the world and has shed a light on how mentally ill are treated in a city where many have been either jailed for their condition or worse killed. Penny, who has been coined The Subway Strangler is scheduled to surrender to the 5th police precinct in downtown Manhattan and be processed and then taken to 100 Centre Street to be formally charged with 2nd degree Manslaughter. The victim was placed in a chokehold after boarding a F train in Manhattan complaining that he was hungry and didn’t care if he died.
Rather than render assistance to Neely, Penny decided to put Neely in a fatal chokehold. When police responded to the crime scene they took Penny to a transit substation and then released him hours later. Daniel Penny’s father was a top-ranking NY State Police Colonel in charge of Internal Affairs prior to his retirement and some believe that might played a factor in how the police initially dealt with Neely’s killer by releasing him without charges.
”I appreciate DA Bragg conducting a thorough investigation into the death of Jordan Neely,” Mayor Adams said in a statement. “I have the utmost faith in the judicial process, and now justice can move forward against Daniel Penny.”
Many have criticized the Mayor and former cop about how he responded to the death of Neely and even condemned the New York City Police Department’s handling of protestors and the arrest of a veteran photo journalist covering the protest.
Andre Zachery, 59, told the New York Daily News that his son was not violent and did not deserve to be choked to death.
“Obviously he was calling for help…He wasn’t out to hurt nobody,” the grieving father said. “He was a good kid and a good man too. Something has to be done.”
This is a late-breaking developing story.
