On Friday, jurors in the trial of Daniel Penny informed the judge that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the primary charge of second-degree manslaughter.
This trial stems from a May 2023 subway altercation where Penny placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold, leading to Neely’s death.
Jury unable to reach unanimous decision on Daniel Penny‘s manslaughter casepic.twitter.com/snEkRWyRNk
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) December 6, 2024
According to Fox News, the presiding judge, considering the jury’s deadlock, discussed the possibility of delivering an Allen charge. This instruction encourages jurors to continue deliberating in an effort to reach a consensus. If they remain unable to agree, a mistrial could be declared.
Following the jury’s note, Penny’s defense team immediately requested the judge declare a mistrial. However, the judge declined and instead issued the Allen charge, urging jurors to re-examine the case with open minds.
Addressing the jury late Friday morning, the judge emphasized the importance of their role and the improbability of assembling a better-qualified jury in the future. “You 12 were selected to serve; both sides expressed confidence in your fairness. There’s no reason to think a future jury would be more intelligent or hard-working. I