A man who aided Daniel Penny while he restrained Jordan Neely in a lethal chokehold aboard a subway car in May 2023 recalled telling the former U.S. Marine he could safely release his grip from Neely’s neck in trial testimony on Tuesday.

Done right, the maneuver should knock a person out without killing them, according to a Marines combat instructor who trained Penny. But held too long, the technique can restrict the flow of blood

The homicide detective who interviewed Daniel Penny shortly after he placed Jordan Neely in a chokehold last year knew that Neely had died, he testified at Penny’s criminal trial Thursday. But Penny, he said, did not. Detective Brian McCarthy said he and his partner interviewed Penny while prosecutors watched secretly behind a one-way mirror.