Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran on the middle of a New York Metropolis subway homicide trial, spoke out for the primary time after a jury discovered him not responsible, noting that on the time of the incident he was in “a very vulnerable position.”
“He was simply threatening to kill individuals. He was threatening to go to jail ceaselessly, go to jail for the remainder of his life,” Penny mentioned in an interview with Fox Information’s Jeanine Pirro, referring to Jordan Neely, whom the defendant positioned in a chokehold for a number of minutes, resulting in his loss of life.
“And now, where I’m on the ground with him, I’m on my back in a very vulnerable position if I would have just let go,” he mentioned in accordance with an excerpt from the interview.
Pirro additionally questioned Penny on what he meant by a “vulnerable position.” He mentioned he was on his again and the person might have circled and began “doing what he mentioned to me,” alluding to loss of life.
Penny, 26, was acquitted of a criminally negligent murder cost Monday. He’d initially been charged with manslaughter within the loss of life of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man that was shouting at subway passengers that he was hungry, thirsty and suicidal.
The defendant was initially taken into custody however was launched after Neely’s loss of life. A grand jury voted to indict him in June 2023, and he pleaded not responsible.
His attorneys sought to indicate Penny, with a navy background, was merely in search of to guard himself and others round him. The veteran added within the interview that he’s not a confrontational individual and that the eye he is acquired for the reason that incident is “very uncomfortable.”
“I didn’t want any type of attention or praise, and I still don’t,” he mentioned. “The guilt I might have felt if somebody did get harm, if … he did do what he was threatening to do, I might by no means be capable to reside with myself.”
“And I’ll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed,” Penny added.
The total interview is about to air on Fox Nation later Wednesday.
