How Murder Can Make You Rich... If You Kill a Poor Person

He didn't just get away with murder but he got rich. Thom Hartmann is joined by Ron Kenyatta to discuss how while the world cheered the arrested United Healthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione another more gruesome murderer got away with it. MORE FROM THOM 📃 Thom's Hartmann's 'Daily Take' Newsletter: https://HartmannReport.com 🎦 Watch a full program re-run anytime: https://www.patreon.com/thomhartmann 🎧 Audio Podcast: https://thom.tv FOLLOW THOM 📕 AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2hS4UwY 📝 DAILY TAKE: https://hartmannreport.com 👥 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ThomHartmannProgram/ 📸 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/Thom_Hartmann 🎦 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thomhartmann 🐦 TWITTER/X: https://www.twitter.com/thom_hartmann 🌐 WEBSITE: https://www.thomhartmann.com 📺 YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thomhartmann 👕 Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/thom-hartmann-program-2 🍺 Thom Merchandise: https://teespring.com/thom-hartmann-mug?pid=522&cid=101870 ABOUT THE PROGRAM The Thom Hartmann Program is the leading progressive political talk radio show for political news and comments about Government politics, be it Liberal or Conservative, plus special guests and callers. #MoreFromThom ✔ Amazon links are affiliate links VIDEO TRANSCRIPT - Published 10 December 2024 But we've been talking about Luigi, so I want to talk about Penny for a minute. Oh yeah, Daniel Penny just got let off—he was acquitted. In our last conversation, which was maybe three weeks ago, I mentioned to you that Jose Abar’s case was happening at the same time as the Daniel Penny case. That was the Lake and Riley case, which ironically went to trial in just eight months—a crazy timeline for a murder trial. In contrast, Daniel Penny's trial took over a year and a half. One of the things I want to talk about is the message this case sends. Daniel Penny became a millionaire as a result of this trial. He raised $4 million for his defense, and because it was such an infamous—or famous, depending on your perspective—case, I’m sure his attorneys probably took it on a pro bono basis. He was released on a $100,000 bail. Meanwhile, I once wrote a bad check for medication, and my bail was set at $800,000. This is the message: It was illegal. And the judge, whom I will name—Michael D., a California Superior Court Judge—probably wishes he had never seen my face. This is the kind of thing Black people in the United States constantly have to deal with. Sure, there are major global issues happening—Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, the Western Pacific—but this message keeps getting reinforced for us. Consider Kyle Rittenhouse. A caller earlier mentioned him. Kyle Rittenhouse became wealthy after killing people. Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, sold the gun he used to kill a 17-year-old boy for over $4 million. And Daniel Penny? He worked in a restaurant and gave swim lessons. He wouldn’t have made $4 million in five lifetimes, but now he’s a millionaire. The message being sent to Black people in the United States is clear: Our lives mean nothing. Not only can you kill us and get away with it, but you can also become wealthy in the process. Look at the narrative surrounding Daniel Penny before his trial—he was described as a Marine veteran. But when they talked about Jordan Neely, his victim, they emphasized that he was homeless, struggled with drugs, and so on. It's the same playbook, over and over again. This is "Pennies from Heaven." I’ll close with this: What Daniel Penny did to Jordan Neely was apply the RNC—not the Republican National Committee, but a rear naked chokehold. I’ve been trained in using that technique. It is absolutely fatal if held for more than 15 or 16 seconds. Once the person’s body goes limp and their eyes close, you let go. But this guy held on for minutes. It reminded me of George Floyd, with that cop kneeling on his neck for God knows how long. It also reminds me of Bernard Goetz—the so-called “Subway Vigilante” from decades ago. He became a hero for some, championed by people like Rush Limbaugh. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I know I’m off-topic, but these patterns keep happening. The world is full of problems. Black people in the United States care about global warming, climate change, and the same issues everyone else does, but we can’t escape this cycle. Decade after decade, century after century, it repeats. That indicates something is deeply wrong with this country. Lastly, I want to say this: What we’re seeing now is part of the fallout from Trump’s election—or reelection, or coronation, however you want to describe it. The Penny verdict is not unrelated to the influence of the Trump era. Trump has emboldened these people, and we’re going to see more of this. Thanks, Thom.