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Daniel Penny walks in the direction of the courtroom, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Picture/Heather Khalifa, File)
Daniel Penny arrives at courtroom after lunch break in New York, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Daniel Penny walks in the direction of the courtroom, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Picture/Heather Khalifa, File)
Daniel Penny walks in the direction of the courtroom, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Picture/Heather Khalifa, File)
Daniel Penny arrives at courtroom after lunch break in New York, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Daniel Penny arrives at courtroom after lunch break in New York, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Penny, a navy veteran who choked an agitated New York subway rider and was acquitted of murder this week, has been invited by Vice President-elect JD Vance to hitch Donald Trump’s suite on the Military-Navy soccer recreation on Saturday.
The Marine veteran was cleared of criminally negligent murder in Jordan Neely ’s 2023 demise. A extra severe manslaughter cost was dismissed final week.
Vance stated Penny, 26, accepted his invitation to hitch the president-elect and him on the recreation.
“Daniel’s a very good man, and New York’s mob district lawyer tried to break his life for having a spine,” Vance stated in a submit on X. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s in a position to have enjoyable and respect how a lot his fellow residents admire his braveness.”
The case sparked nationwide debate, with some hailing Penny as a hero for making an attempt to subdue a person he thought of a menace to public security and others seeing him as a white vigilante who choked a Black man to demise.
Political figures on the fitting have defended Penny since he was charged for the demise in Might 2023. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination and was tapped by Trump final month to steer an effort together with billionaire Elon Musk to chop authorities spending, donated cash to his authorized protection fund.
After the acquittal, Penny gave an in depth interview to Fox Information and declared he’s “not a confrontational particular person.” He instructed the community that he wouldn’t have been in a position to dwell with “the guilt I might have felt if somebody did get harm, if he did do what he was threatening to do.”
“I’ll take one million court docket appearances and folks calling me names and folks hating me, simply to maintain a kind of individuals from getting harm or killed,” Penny stated.
Trump has not referred to the case publicly lately, however final 12 months he instructed The Messenger that he thought Penny and different individuals on the subway have been “in nice hazard.”
Some New Yorkers protested the trial end result this week, holding indicators and chanting Jordan Neely’s identify in a Manhattan sq..
Vance, who served within the Marine Corps, together with in Iraq, stated this week that “justice was carried out on this case” and Penny by no means ought to have been prosecuted.
Penny has been hailed a hero by many, however Neely’s demise additionally divided the town as residents grapple with how to answer psychological well being crises threatening public security.
Passengers stated Neely hadn’t touched anybody however had expressed willingness to die, go to jail and even to kill. The previous road performer was homeless, had schizophrenia and had artificial marijuana in his system. He had been convicted of assaulting individuals at subway stations.
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