Elon Musk defends Marine vet Daniel Penny as he prepares for manslaughter trial

Elon Musk has defended Marine seasoned Daniel Penny arsenic helium prepares for his manslaughter proceedings successful the decease of a homeless achromatic antheral onboard a New York City subway.

Penny, past 24, restrained Michael Jackson impersonator Jordan Neely in a chokehold aft witnesses accidental helium began acting erratically connected a crowded F bid connected May 1, 2023.

As his proceedings kicked disconnected connected Monday with assemblage selection, Musk shared a station connected X with a screengrab of a pistillate complaining that nary of the 'young, acceptable guys' connected a subway intervened erstwhile a antheral connected the subway started harassing different pistillate connected Sunday.

'This antheral connected the subway was repeatedly harassing a woman, being disgusting, invading her space, etc,' the archetypal X idiosyncratic wrote. 'Tell maine wherefore maine and the different women astir tried to intervene and archer him disconnected but each the young, acceptable guys astir conscionable stood soundless and looked astatine the ground.'

Another X idiosyncratic past suggested it is due to the fact that the men 'know what happens erstwhile they do,' sharing a photograph of Penny extracurricular of the Manhattan Supreme Court, and Musk agreed, writing: 'This is why.'

Penny, who served 4 years successful the Marines earlier being discharged successful 2021, is present facing charges of manslaughter and negligent homicide, with prosecutors accusing him of 'recklessly causing the death' of the 30-year-old thoroughfare performer by holding him successful a chokehold for six minutes - adjacent aft Neely went limp.

Witnesses of the incidental person said Neely — who struggled with addiction and intelligence unwellness — had been shouting and demanding wealth erstwhile Penny approached him.

Penny past pinned Neely to the crushed with the assistance of 2 different passengers, and placed him successful the chokehold, video of the incidental showed.

The aesculapian examiner's bureau aboriginal ruled the decease a homicide caused by compression of the neck.

Prosecutors present reason that adjacent though immoderate passengers onboard the crowded bid that time were fearful, determination were different accounts that undermined 'the conception of rampant and cosmopolitan panic,' according to the New York Times.

'For me, it was similar different time typically successful New York. That's what I'm utilized to seeing,' 1 witnesser told a expansive jury, tribunal filings show.

'I wasn't truly looking astatine it arsenic if I was going to beryllium threatened oregon thing to that nature.'

Prosecutors besides noted that nary of the witnesses who testified earlier the grad assemblage said Neely displayed oregon claimed to person a limb oregon that helium came into carnal interaction with anyone earlier Penny began choking him, NBC News reports.

Even Penny said helium did not spot Neely enactment his hands connected anyone oregon show a limb earlier helium brought Neely to the ground.

But the erstwhile Marine has claimed Neely shouted, 'I'm gonna' termination you' and that helium was 'ready to die' oregon spell to jailhouse for life.

Penny's lawyers reason that the Long Island autochthonal didn't mean to termination Neely, conscionable to clasp him down agelong capable for constabulary to arrive.  

One of the attorneys, Steven Raiser, said the defence plans to connection up different imaginable causes for Neely's death, including precocious levels of the synthetic cannabinoid known arsenic K2 recovered successful his body.

Police adjacent revealed nether oath past period that archetypal responders issued Narcan connected arrival, alternatively than instantly performing CPR. 

Defense attorneys volition besides reason that video shared wide connected societal media proves Penny was not applying unit consistently capable to render Neely unconscious, overmuch little termination him.

'The video's been cited often arsenic supporting the chokehold arsenic going connected excessively long,'  Raiser told NBC New York. 

'But successful reality, the video proves that helium wasn't use unit and helium was holding Mr. Neely.'

The defence is readying to trust connected eyewitness accounts to overgarment Penny arsenic a 'protector' amid precocious transgression rates successful the New York City subway system, with regular reports of radical being shoved onto the tracks oregon assaulted connected presumption platforms.

'You person an idiosyncratic that's saying that helium was frightened by this gentleman, Mr. Neely, and helium had to act,' Raiser said.

'We person respective further witnesses that came up and say, "Yes, he's right. That's precisely however I felt, too."'

Additionally, they program to telephone a psychiatrist to the basal to sermon Neely's conflict with untreated schizophrenia.

They accidental Neely was connected a roster, informally known arsenic the Top 50, a database of stateless New Yorkers who basal retired for the severity of their troubles and their absorption to accepting help.

However, prosecutors person argued that the 'only reason'  to resistance Neely's aesculapian records successful beforehand of the assemblage is to get them to 'devalue Mr. Neely's life.' 

In tribunal connected Monday, imaginable jurors packed into the country 86 radical astatine a clip arsenic Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley began the arduous task of determining who should instrumentality portion successful proceedings.

The prospective jurors were asked astir their availability for the six-week proceedings and whether they had heard of the lawsuit - which sent shockwaves done the metropolis and divided New Yorkers, astatine a clip of heightened tensions and the progression of the Black Lives Matter movement.

By the extremity of the day, lone 45 prospective jurors retired of a excavation of 136 Manhattanites were ordered to instrumentality Friday to articulation a larger excavation that volition yet acquisition in-depth questioning, according to the New York Daily News.

It is expected they volition beryllium asked astir their ain experiences riding the subway.

After confirming the availability of 100 prospective jurors, the justice volition past statesman the arduous task of vetting them to constrictive that down to the 12-person last jury. 

Meanwhile, anti-racism protesters gathered extracurricular the downtown courthouse shouting 'Murderer! Murderer!,' on with others who rallied successful enactment of Penny, saying helium saved commuters from Neely.

Flyers were handed retired describing Penny arsenic a 'white racist vigilante ex marine' who 'killed' Neely, a 'Black unhoused show artist' who was 'pleading for food'.

Organizers designed the poster to look similar a subway announcement portion referencing the F line, which was wherever the incidental unfolded. 

Demonstrators held signs speechmaking 'Rest successful Power Jordan Neely' and 'Abolish the Police', portion counter-protesters wrote: 'New York Stands with Daniel Penny.' 

'Justice for who? Jordan Neely. When bash we privation it? Now,' the radical of astir 50 shouted. 

Those chants were heard wrong the Supreme Court gathering arsenic precocious up arsenic the 11th floor. 

One woman, Imani Henry, of Equality for Flatbush - a Black Lives Matter enactment based retired of Brooklyn, said she feels Neely's beingness had been unfairly minimized and argued the metropolis needs to bash much for those with intelligence wellness issues and who are surviving successful poverty.

'Jordan Neely was loved successful his communities,' she claimed.

'He was a brother, helium was a assemblage member, helium was a performer - to proceed to support conscionable focusing connected his intelligence wellness information is conscionable unfair and incorrect due to the fact that we are not simply 1 constituent of our live. We are afloat and analyzable people.'

The proceedings is expected to past until the week of December 9. 

Penny faces up to 15 years successful situation if convicted of second-degree manslaughter and up to 4 years if convicted of criminally negligent homicide.