Closing Arguments Made in Trial of Daniel Penny, Accused in NY Subway Death

The defense argued Penny could not have known of Neely’s medical condition. Prosecutors said Penny’s use of force went beyond what the law allows.

Daniel Penny, who is charged in the death of Jordan Neely, walks into the courthouse with members of his legal team as closing arguments begin in his trial in New York on Dec. 2, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY—Lawyers in the Daniel Penny trial made their closing arguments on Dec. 2, hoping to sway the jury on whether Penny is guilty of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the death of Jordan Neely on May 1, 2023, on a New York subway train.

The defense relied on testimony from Dr. Satish Chundru, and even portions of testimony from one of the prosecution witnesses, medical examiner Dr. Cynthis Harris, to make its case that Neely died from sickle cell crisis, not from strangulation.