Manslaughter charges against Daniel Perry dismissed following jury deadlock

Saturday, December 7, 2024 

On Friday, Judge Maxwell Wiley in Manhattan -- a borough of New York City, New York, United States -- dismissed manslaughter charges against Daniel Perry, an ex-marine accused of criminal negligence in the 2023 choking death of homeless man Jordan Neely. The decision was made at the behest of the prosecution, and was the result of the jury's failure to ratify on a verdict in the case.

NBC News reported that the judge told the members of the jury to go home after they notified him that they were deadlocked. Jurors would now deliberate the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, the maximum penalty for which is four years in the state of New York. Perry could have faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted of his prior charges.

Neely had died in an altercation with Perry on the floor of a passenger subway in Manhattan on May 1, 2023. Perry's defense team affirmed that the defendant had acted in self-defense, and that Neely had been actively threatening passengers on the train. The prosecution maintained that Perry had used too much force while subduing Neely, and had held him in a chokehold for far too long.

• Ben Brachfeld. "Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Daniel Penny After Jury Deadlocks" — People, December 6, 2024
• Janelle Griffith. "Judge dismisses manslaughter charge in Daniel Penny trial after jury deadlock" — NBC News, December 6, 2024