The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting Daniel Penny, has decided to drop the second-degree manslaughter charge against him, hoping jurors can come to a verdict on the lesser charge.
Jurors on Friday said they were deadlocked on whether Penny “recklessly” caused the death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train last May, prompting Judge Maxwell Wiley and Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran to discuss the possibility of dropping the manslaughter charge, journalist Matthew Lee reported.
After discussing it with her colleagues, Yoran told the judge that the DA would like to dismiss the manslaughter charge against Penny, which could have landed him up to 15 years in prison. As Lee reported, Penny’s attorneys argued that such a move would be coercing the jury, but the judge – who has been favorable to the prosecution throughout the trial –…
