Lawyers representing the family of Jordan Neely on Monday released a statement criticizing a news release on behalf of former marine Daniel Penny, arguing that the words show why he should be imprisoned. Penny, 24, has not been arrested or charged after he choked 30-year-old Neely to death on the New York subway last week. “Daniel Penny’s press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret,” attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards wrote. “It is a character assassination, and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.” On Friday, Penny’s lawyers put out a statement conveying Penny’s condolences to Neely’s loved ones, with the release going on to detail Neely’s “documented history of violent and erratic behavior.” The statement also argued that Penny acted in self-defense and had “never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.” Neely’s family lawyers instead alleged that Penny “never attempted to help [Neely] at all.” “In short, [Penny’s] actions on the train, and now his words, show why he needs to be in prison,” they said.
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