Madeline Halpert-BBC News, New York
A former US Marine is set to stand trial this week for putting a homeless man in a fatal chokehold on a New York subway train.
Daniel Penny, 25, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide.
Witnesses said Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old black man, was shouting at other subway passengers and asking for money when Mr Penny, who is white, pinned him down for several minutes, eventually killing him.
The May 2023 event quickly became a political flashpoint, with conservatives praising Mr Penny as a hero, and critics including civil rights activists saying he acted as an unjustified vigilante.
Mr Penny, who has said he was acting in self-defense, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the manslaughter charge.
Prosecutors say he put Mr. Neely in a chokehold “that lasted approximately six minutes and continued well past the point at which Mr. Neely had stopped purposeful movement”.
Fellow passengers filmed the incident, with a freelance journalist recording Mr Penny holding Mr Neely around the neck for several minutes.
