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Jordan Neely: Homeless man killed in chokehold on NYC subway was 'shattered' after mom's brutal murder

Jordan's mother was killed by her boyfriend who was later sentenced to 30 years in prison

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Jordan Neely, the man killed in a chokehold on the NYC subway by former US Marine Daniel Penny, was devastated after his mother's death for being unable to help her before she got killed in 2007. The 30-year-old died on Monday, May 1, after the officers found him unconscious upon arrival and later declared him dead at the hospital. However, no charges have been filed against Penny as of now. 

Neely was apparently homeless and was suffering from mental health issues at the time of his death, his family has stated. Donte Mills, an attorney for Neely's family told NBC News, that Neely "had demons" stemming from his mother's tragic death. He said that Neely's family members tried to help him. "We all know people who are on the brink of going through something major, a catastrophe where they just can’t seem to get everything back together and that’s where he was," he said. "But he had a life that he was living and was reaching for."

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Neely's mother's gruesome killing

Neely was only 14 when his mother, Christine, was murdered at their residence, NJ.com reported. Her body was stuffed inside a suitcase and left on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York. When Neely turned 18, Christine's boyfriend, Shawn Southerland was convicted at a trial to which he testified. The outlet reported that Neely wanted to say goodbye to his mother before leaving for school on April 4, 2007, but Shawn refused to let him enter the bedroom. 

Neely later came to know that his mother was murdered by her boyfriend the day before and Shawn then dumped her lifeless body while he was at school. He was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for his crime. "He had to live with the fact that he left his mother dead in their home. So, that's a lot to live with and he had troubles with that. But throughout his life, he was determined to make other people happy and that's what he did," Mills said. "A part of that was entertaining. He really enjoyed Michael Jackson, he emulated him and his style," he continued.

Neely was loved by his neighbors

Neely's personification of Jackson won the hearts of many people in his neighborhood. One of his neighbors, Kizzy Gonzalez, had Neely perform at her son's birthday party. Although the event took place two decades back, she remembers it clearly.  "To see Jordan perform as Michael Jackson, my son really thought that was the real Michael Jackson," she said in a phone call Saturday, May 6. "That’s how great he was. He was always known as a great Michael Jackson performer, he took on the whole persona," she continued. "He would spend his little change to buy the outfits to match what Michael Jackson wore in certain songs and certain videos."

Gonzalez's cousin, Lance Clarke, of Brooklyn, knew Neelya from the neighborhood and remembered seeing him in different costumes on various occasions. "He used to have a full, pristine Michael Jackson outfit and he would perform in that outfit," he said in a phone call.

Neely looked shattered

Clarke said that Neely went "downward spiral" over the years and his beloved costumes looked torn. Neely stopped dancing eventually and would just "sit down on the train, not perform, not ask for money." Clarke said he would tell Neely to get off the train several times and wait outside his apartment building while he offered him food and clothing. "He just looked shattered. He looked just tired ... just a look of desperation and lack of hope," he said.

Neely was always "soft-spoken" but "troubled", Gonzalez said. She last saw him about a year ago when he seemed to be "in distress, and like he was going through hard times". "Jordan was a troubled young man," she said. "I just know him to have suffered a very traumatic life and a very traumatic childhood."