photo courtesy of CBC
In a May 21 interview with The New York Post, Jordan Neely’s uncle revealed that he thinks Daniel Penny shouldn’t be offered a plea deal in the case of killing his homeless nephew in a chokehold on a train. Christopher Neely shared that he believed that the act of leniency on Penny would possibly lead to him committing a similar crime again in the future.
Christopher began, “He needs to be prosecuted, or he will do it again. It’s a smack in the face for Jordan’s family and the people of New York.”
He continued to say that Penny’s overconfidence following the incident indicated that the case needed to go to trial. He specifically referenced the comments that Penny made that he would do the same thing if he were presented with a similar encounter like his with Jordan again. When asked if he would do something similar again, the perpetrator said, “You know, I live an authentic and genuine life. And I would — if there was a threat and danger in the present …” He ironically added, “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life. It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.”
Penny’s comments deeply disturbed Christopher. He told the outlet, “I want this to go to trial. He has too much confidence in himself and has to be taught what he did was wrong.” Christopher revealed that Penny hadn’t even apologized for killing Jordan to his family.
He expressed, “He thinks what he did was a good deed — that is monstrous. How can you say ‘everything I did was right’ when he killed an unarmed man that weighed 100 pounds if that?”
Christopher told the interviewers that he thought that, in fact, everyone involved in Jordan’s death should be held accountable. He
cited the other two men who were caught on video holding Jordan down while Penny had him in a headlock specifically.“Whoever helped hold Jordan down assisted a homicide and should be charged,” he said. “Jordan could still be alive if the other men weren’t holding his arms … The other assailants stopped Jordan from saving himself. They have to be held accountable,” he finished.
“The Penny, the nickel, and the dime should all be charged.”