Luigi Mangione, the man accused in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year, made an appearance in a Manhattan courthouse on Friday, his first this year on state charges of murder as an act of terrorism.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate faces 11 counts in the state for the Dec. 4 shooting of Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel that set off a massive manhunt. In separate cases, he also faces federal charges of murder and other charges in Pennsylvania, where he was ultimately arrested.
Mangione, dressed in khaki pants and a dark green sweater, didn’t say anything to reporters as he was escorted in handcuffs and a bulletproof vest into the courtroom Friday afternoon, then back out shortly after.
Friday’s pre-trial proceedings were scheduled for 2:15 p.m. The New York charges include murder in the first degree in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, including one as an act of terrorism, and several weapons charges. He pleaded not guilty to the New York charges in December.
Dozens of supporters were gathered behind police barricades outside the courthouse and in the hallway outside the courtroom.
“Luigi really wanted to thank the supporters for being here and we all appreciate it very much,” Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, said outside the courtroom after the proceeding was over.
Friedman Agnifilo said she raised several issues in court about Mangione’s treatment. She said the defense team is concerned about his ability to receive a fair trial when New York City officials have given interviews about the evidence for a documentary before the attorneys received it.
“Luigi’s right to a fair trial is being infringed upon because he is being publicly treated as guilty, and is having the presumption of guilt as opposed to the presumption of innocence, which is what he is entitled to,” she said.
Friedman Agnifilo also called for Mangione to be held in state custody instead of at the federal detention center while the New York state case proceeds first.
The district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Mangione is also charged with federal counts of murder using a firearm, two counts of stalking and an additional firearms offense. In Pennsylvania, Mangione is charged with five counts: forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of a crime and presenting false identification to law enforcement.
Though the death penalty is abolished in New York, the federal charges put it back on the table as a possible sentence if he is convicted on the federal murder charge. His attorneys said they added a death penalty expert to the team earlier this month.
Officials previously said the state case is expected to go to trial before the federal case.
Luigi Mangione speaks out from jail
Mangione said in a statement posted to a new website that he is reading every letter he receives at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
“I am overwhelmed by – and grateful for – everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe,” he said.
The statement appeared on the newly created website managed by Mangione’s attorneys, where they said they would also share updates about his cases, and where his supporters can contribute to his legal fees.
“My client plans on utilizing (the donations) to fight all three of the unprecedented cases against him,” his lawyer, Friedman Agnifilo, said in a statement.
What happened to Brian Thompson?
Thompson, 50, was gunned down early the morning of Dec. 4 outside a Hilton Hotel, where he was set to attend an investor conference.
Police said Mangione wore a dark hoodie and a face covering and approached Thompson from behind, shooting him in the back and leg using a gun with a silencer. Mangione then allegedly fled on an e-bike, then took a taxi and bus to make it out of the state.
The words “deny,” “depose” and “delay” were written on shell casings and a bullet found at the scene, police said.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, at a McDonald’s after a customer and an employee spotted him there five days after Thompson’s killing. Law enforcement said he was found with the same fake ID used to check into a hostel in New York City and a so-called “ghost gun.” He was taken into custody and later extradited to New York.
‘The target is insurance’:Shooting suspect Luigi Mangione’s notebook shows plan, feds say
Federal prosecutors said a handwritten notebook Mangione had with him when he was arrested showed he had planned his attack for months in an attempt to spark debate over insurance industry practices.
Contributing: Reuters
