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Jury in Daniel Penny case reportedly deadlocked. Here’s what happens next…

December 6, 2024 | | Print Article

The trial of Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran charged with manslaughter for the death of Jordan Neely, appears to be far from concluding.

After a four-week-long trial, the jury in the Daniel Penny case has reportedly informed the judge that they are unable to reach a decision regarding the second-degree manslaughter charge.

Watch:

District Attorney Alvin Bragg has come under fire for even bringing charges against Penny in the first place, as even the passengers who were on the subway at the time of the incident described the veteran’s behavior as “really respectful.” Neely, they say, was being disorderly and had straphangers “scared s**tless.”

Now, with the jury unable to make a decision, legal scholar Jonathan Turley weighs in on what America can expect:

“The jury just sent a note to the court that it is deadlocked on the first count, the second-degree manslaughter charge. The court will likely now issue an Allen charge to get them to resume deliberations,” he wrote in an X post.

“The question is whether the court will instruct the jury to consider the second charge of the criminal negligence charge. The judge expressed doubt over whether, in the absence of a unanimous verdict on the first charge, he could tell them to move on to the second charge,” he continued. “Many of us cannot see how this case could have produced a conviction with the layers of reasonable doubt in the evidence. The absence of clear causation makes a conviction difficult to justify in such a case. Indeed, it makes it difficult to see why the case was brought.”

“The criminal negligence charge was always the more menacing option given the lower standard. Bragg clearly hoped that the jury could reject the top charge and compromise on the second charge. That could still prove to be the case depending on the approach of the court.”

X users weighed in on the breaking news:

Sierra Marlee
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