The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City and leading authorities on a five-day search was in court for the first time since his December arraignment on state murder and terror charges.
Luigi Mangione had on a bulletproof vest and shackles as he walked into the Manhattan courtroom on Friday. The 26-year-old has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. The executive was ambushed and shot on a sidewalk as he walked to an investor conference.
Mangione also faces federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty. He is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. A Feb. 24 hearing in Pennsylvania on charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police was canceled.
In a statement posted on a website for his legal defense, Mangione said: “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."
Money had been pouring in for Mangione's legal defense fund, which had accrued more than half a million dollars as of Friday. It lists a goal of $1 million.
Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said her client's right to a fair trial was "being infringed upon because he is being publicly treated as guilty...as opposed to the presumption of innocence."
After prosecutors talked about evidence in the case that has been collected and given to the defense, including hours of video surveillance and some forensic evidence, Mangione's attorneys said they are still waiting on key evidence, which is required to be turned over. They also alleged the search and seizure against Mangione when he was arrested was illegal.
The defense team raised several issues in court on Friday, saying Mangione is being treated differently in federal custody. They claimed there has been an unnecessary show of security, including shackles and handcuffs that weren’t removed in the courtroom.
Another concern of the defense centers around an HBO documentary that was released earlier in the week. In it, the NYPD chief of detectives and Mayor Eric Adams are featured, discussing evidence they have not been given.
"Talking about police paperwork we don't have, talking about forensics that we have not received," said Agnifilo. "When I was learning about the case, hearing an actor play Luigi read from a journal and we have yet to receive it."
Luigi Mangione spoke inside a New York court room for the first time Monday, pleading not guilty to charges in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione swapped an orange jumpsuit for a sweater and slacks to face a judge on charges that include murder and terrorism, on top of the federal charges against him. NBC New York's Sarah Wallace reports.
The killing prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione attracting a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. A poll taken in the wake of the shooting showed most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share blame.
It was Mangione's first public appearance in state court in about two months. A couple dozen members of the public were allowed into Friday's routine hearing, including one wearing a "Free Luigi” scarf.
Outside the courthouse, a rally was organized by a group called People Over Profits, which encouraged to wear green. Trucks with electronic billboards in support of Mangione and critical of large corporate profits circled the block.
The killing also sent shock waves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they saw a spike in threats.
Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson during his arraignment on Monday morning.
Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Dec. 9. Police said he was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, authorities said.
Thompson, a married father of two high-schoolers, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
Agnifilo argued at his Dec. 23 arraignment that “warring jurisdictions” had turned Mangione into a “human Ping-Pong ball.” She accused New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other government officials of tainting the jury pool by bringing Mangione back to Manhattan in a choreographed spectacle involving heavily armed officers escorting him up a pier from a heliport.
Agnifilo singled out Adams’ comment on a local TV station that he wanted to be there to look "him in the eye and say, ‘you carried out this terroristic act in my city.’"
Mangione's next appearance in the federal case against him is scheduled for March 19.
