Daniel Penny has raised over $1 million in online donations towards his legal defense after being charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely.
The fund, set up by Penny’s attorneys, says it will be used to pay for a 24-year-old Long Island native’s legal fees and for ‘any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense’.
Penny was recorded putting Neely into a chokehold while they rode a New Yor subway on May 1. Penny wasn’t formally charged until May 12 when he surrendered to authorties.
An autopsy ruled Neely’s death a homicide due to compression of the neck. ‘Jordan Neely should still be alive today,’ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Penny was released on $100,000 cash bail and ordered to surrender his passport.
He is due back in court July 17.
