Outraged friends and family of ex-Marine Daniel Penny have slammed his manslaughter charge for the subway chokehold killing of Jordan Neely as ‘disgusting.’
The 24-year-old veteran’s loved ones said he ‘could always be counted on when you needed help’ and feel he is being ‘railroaded’ by the legal system.
‘Here’s a young man who served our country,’ said Justine Baldwin, Penny’s cousin, to the New York Post.
‘What about the other two gentlemen on the subway who were helping him (restrain Neely)? They haven’t even been named.’
Penny has seen an outpouring of support in the wake of the May 1 killing, and a crowdfunding effort has already soared past $1 million.
Ex-Marine Daniel Penny was described by family and friends as ‘calm’ and a ‘fun kid’
Penny has been charged with manslaughter after killing homeless schizophrenic Jordan Neely in a chokehold on May 1
Th ex-marine was arrested this week for the chokehold killing of Neely on a Manhattan subway, who was allegedly threatening a subway car before Penny and others subdued him.
While footage of Penny restraining Neely sparked controversy, his relatives have described him as ‘calm’ and a ‘fun kid’.
Some have attempted to depict the veteran as a privileged individual in the aftermath of the incident, but those that knew him revealed he grew up in a middle-class military family in Long Island.
‘He was always there for his family and his sisters,’ added Baldwin. ‘Danny has always been calm, he comes from a calm family.’
Neighbors reportedly added that he even lived out of a van at one time, while he previously shared a three-bedroom home with his three sisters and parents.
‘Danny was always fun and goofy and never harmed anyone,’ said the Marine’s friend Devin Marino.
‘He was always super inclusive,’ he added. ‘His family was really nice and had an open door policy.’
The veteran’s friends say he was ‘always fun and goofy and never harmed anyone’. Pictured: Penny’s high school yearbook page from West Islip High School in New York
Jordan Neely, a homeless man and Michael Jackson impersonator, had his mental health deteriorate drastically in recent years, according to his family
Neighbors who knew Penny and his family in West Islip also praised the veteran, with Marcia Mulcahy, who lived across the street from him for four years, describing him as ‘a lovely kid’.
‘The family could not have been nicer,’ she added. ‘Just look at the fundraiser to see how people feel about him.
‘We’re all contributing to it. He was just trying to help on the subway. It was obviously a scary situation and it all went wrong. But he didn’t go in there trying to hurt anyone. He was trying to help.’
Mulcahy was referencing a GiveSendGo fundraiser set up by Penny’s attorney’s to fund his legal fees, which has already skyrocketed past $1 million.
The page hit the $1million mark in the hours after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted a link to the page. On Friday, Penny, 24, was freed pending trial hours after turning himself in at a police precinct and appearing in court to answer criminal charges. He did not enter a plea.
Bail bondsman Ira Judelson told DailyMail.com Penny was ‘very quiet and nervous’ and was ‘respectful’ as he was arrested and arraigned.
A fundraiser for Daniel Penny’s legal fees quickly passed the $1 million mark
Penny, 24, was arraigned on a second degree manslaughter charge which carries a sentence of up to 15 years. He is pictured with his attorney
Penny is pictured being put in the back of a police car in handcuffs May 12, 2023
Penny’s lawyer revealed the veteran had been deployed twice over four years of service with the Marines, where he rose to the rank of sergeant before he was honorable discharged in 2021.
He handed himself in to police after the death of Neely, a former subway performer who was renowned for his Michael Jackson impersonation. In recent years he had fallen on hard times and was battling schizophrenia.
Protests erupted after footage of Penny putting him in a chokehold was released, while others have embraced the Marine as a hero.
Penny’s lawyers argued he was acting in self-defense, while attorney’s for Neely’s family said he wasn’t harming anyone and didn’t deserve to die.
