[In the immediate aftermath of his acquittal on criminal charges Monday, Marine veteran Daniel Penny and his legal team went to a bar in lower Manhattan, where Penny held a drink in one hand while giving a thumbs-up with the other in a posed picture with his attorneys.
The post-verdict celebration underscores a basic fact about Penny’s future: The 26-year-old who had been accused of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the subway death of Jordan Neely is now a free man. However, his exact plans remain unclear, as his attorneys have not responded to a CNN request for comment on his future.
Penny still faces a civil lawsuit from Neely’s father alleging he caused Neely’s death. As for Penny’s life and career, he previously took college classes in engineering and architecture. The trial and debate over his actions on the subway have made him a recognizable public figure and a political talking point – for better or worse.
Legally, the criminal case against him is over. On Monday, a jury found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Penny also previously faced a more serious second-degree manslaughter charge, but Judge Maxwell Wiley dismissed it at the request of prosecutors after jurors twice told the court they could not come to a verdict on the count.
Penny spoke out for the first time after his acquittal in an interview with Fox News, during which he doubled down on his defense argument that he was protecting others from danger. “The guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do, I would never be able to live with myself,” Penny said.
Penny’s history as a student and Marine veteran make him a complex figure, with both acquaintances and opponents weighing in on his actions. His fame and notoriety could lead to both challenges and opportunities in the public sphere.
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