FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Penny, the military veteran who was acquitted of murder this week for strangling an agitated New York subway passenger, was given a complimentary visit from Vice President-elect J.D. Vance to Donald Trump’s Army suite. was invited to. Saturday’s Navy football game.
A Marine Corps veteran was found not guilty of manslaughter in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely. The more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed last week.
Vance said Penny, 26, accepted the invitation.
“Daniel was a good person and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life because he had some backbone,” Vance said in the X post. Many of his compatriots admire his courage. ”
Vance, who served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, said this week that Penney should never have been charged because “justice was served in this case.”
Although he has been hailed as a hero by many, Neely’s death has divided the city as residents grapple with how to respond to a mental health crisis that threatens public safety.
Passengers said Neely did not touch anyone, but he made it clear that he was willing to die, go to prison, or even be killed. The former street performer was homeless, suffered from schizophrenia and had synthetic marijuana in his system. He had been convicted of assaulting people in a subway station.
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