ordan Neely was killed on a New York City underground car, and a former member of the Marine Corps for the United States pleaded not-guilty to manslaughter charges.
The homeless guy Neely was put in a chokehold by Daniel Penny, 24, on May 1 in Manhattan after he yelled at other riders on a tube car.
The 24-year-old veteran held Neely’s neck as he passed away, and two other passengers assisted in holding his body.
A bystander managed to capture the confrontation on video, which drew public outrage after it circulated on social media.
Penny was questioned by police officers after Neely’s death, but was not detained. He was arrested over a week later and charged with second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide on May 12.
He was indicted again by a grand jury on second-degree manslaughter charges on June 15.
If convicted, Penny faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for manslaughter, and five years in prison for negligent homicide.
On Wednesday, Penny was arraigned before a judge in Manhattan Criminal Court. When asked how he pleaded, Penny said ‘not guilty.’ He said nothing else over the course of the short hearing.
Penny is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on October 25. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond.
Penny claimed he acted in self-defense, and said that Neely had been shouting that he was ‘ready to die’ and willing to go to jail before he restrained him.
Danny isn’t the only one on trial,’ his defense attorney Steven Raiser said. ‘The rights of people to defend one another will be on a trial too.’
Others have criticized Penny’s actions, noting that Neely struggled with homelessness and mental illness.
‘A good Samaritan helps those in trouble,’ said Reverend Al Sharpton at Neely’s funeral in May. ‘They don’t choke him out.’
Meanwhile, supporters have raised over $2.9million through a fundraiser on the platform GiveSendGo.
‘For everyone who thought donating $3 million would somehow make this go away or buy his pass: It’s not going to happen,’ said Donte Mills, a lawyer representing Neely’s family.