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An expert witness testified on Thursday in Daniel Penny’s manslaughter trial that the former Marine’s chokehold of a homeless man was not the actual cause of death. 

Penny is standing trial for allegedly killing Jordan Neely on a subway in New York City last year. Neely, who had schizophrenia and a sickle cell genetic disorder, stormed into the subway car with synthetic drugs in his system and allegedly shouted death threats at passengers.

The former marine has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with the incident, and has pleaded not guilty.

Dr. Satish Chundru, a forensic pathologist, told the court that he disagreed with the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office’s cause of death, and said he believes the real cause is “the combined effects of sickle cell crisis, the schizophrenia, the struggle and restraint, and the synthetic marijuana,” according to Fox News.

The pathologist said someone with schizophrenia and on drugs, who is involved in a struggle, can die without a chokehold being involved. He also testified that if the chokehold was the only factor, and Neely had no other health issues, then he would not have died.

“This is a very complicated case … We have schizophrenia involved, sickle cell trait involved, a chokehold,” Chundru testified. “What’s also important is unconsciousness always proceeds death in a chokehold … In a sickle cell crisis, death is a lack of oxygen, so the same thing [in] an asphyxia death.”

The trial has been wrapped for the day, but Chundru is expected to continue testifying in the case on Friday morning.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.