Ex-Marine Charged With Second-Degree Manslaughter of Jordan Neely Raises $1 Million Thanks to Ron DeSantis
The GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign to pay for ex-Marine Daniel Penny's legal fees surpassed $1 million after he was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Penny's lawyers from Raiser & Kenniff set up the crowdfunding page with a blurb stating that the money will be used to pay for the 24-year-old Long Island native's legal fees and for "any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense."
The page hit the $1 million mark after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared a link to it in a tweet Friday night.
The conservative Governor tweeted, "We must defeat Soros-Funded DAs, stop the Left's pro-criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law-abiding citizens."
"We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny," he continued. "Let's show this Marine... America's got his back."
That same day, Penny was released after turning himself over to the police. He's currently set to appear in court to answer questions regarding the criminal charges levied against him. He has not entered a plea at this time.
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Many of the donations on the crowdfunding site have opted to remain anonymous, including one donor who pledged $10,000 towards the campaign, the largest contribution to the page to date.
The generous donator commented, "Thank you for protecting the citizens that day."
Another donor who pledged $5,000 wrote, "Do the right thing. Dan did. It's not that tough."
An autopsy ruled that Neely's death was a homicide due to neck compression. After spending the weekend and much of this week reviewing the accounts of witnesses on the train, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, "Jordan Neely should still be alive today."
Video of the altercation between Neely and Penny went viral on social media showing the ex-Marine putting the schizophrenic homeless 30-year-old into a chokehold for several minutes.
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Neely's family has criticized Penny's "indifference." The family's attorneys released a statement that claimed that Penny "knew nothing about Jordan's history when he intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordan's neck and squeezed and kept squeezing."
The late Michael Jackson impersonator had a history of mental health issues after his mother was murdered. In an interview with CNN, Neely's friend, Moses Harper, said he was "traumatized" as young as 14 when his mother's body was discovered in a suitcase.
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