Why Does the Daniel Penny Verdict Matter? | Cully Stimson

In May of 2023, a man named Daniel Penny boarded a subway car in New York City. During transit, a man named Jordan Neely began to threaten Penny and the other passengers on the car. Expressing a desire to defend himself and others, Penny, an ex-Marine, put Neely in a chokehold until the train arrived at the next station. Shortly after the incident ended, Neely unfortunately died. 

New York has brought a criminal case against Daniel Penny. The highly publicized trial concluded yesterday in Manhattan, with the jury delivering a verdict of “Not Guilty”. Because of the immediate nature of the event, we’ve decided to bring Heritage Explains to you a bit early this week. I sat down with Cully Stimson, Senior Legal Fellow here at the Heritage Foundation, to discuss the case. He’s a lawyer, but also a former prosecutor and judge, so it would be hard to find someone more qualified to shed light on Daniel Penny’s exoneration. 

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