Marine veteran Daniel Penny was arraigned today on a single second-degree manslaughter charge in the May a subway chokehold death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely, the homeless Michael Jackson impersonator who had a history of mental illness.
Penny, 24, did not enter a plea at his Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment hearing today. He was freed on a $100,000 bond, with his next court appearance scheduled for July 17.
If convicted, Penny could face between five and 15 years in prison. Neely’s death, ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner, has set off days of protests and arrests in New York City, with protesters angered both by Neely’s death – he was Black, Penny is white – and what they perceive as the New York Police Department’s slow response to arresting Penny.
The subway death has dominated New York’s local news coverage for more than a week, and has received considerable national coverage on cable and broadcast channels.
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