2 weeks ago
2
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and 10 other charges in New York State court.
The suspected killer, 26, entered not guilty pleas for 11 charges, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism and a slew of weapons charges, in Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on Monday, December 23. If convicted of these charges, Mangione faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
Mangione wore a maroon sweater with a white collared shirt underneath, khaki pants and orange shoes for his court appearance. His feet and hands were in shackles. Though he did not appear to have family in the courtroom, multiple women were there to show their support for Mangione, according to ABC News.
Mangione reportedly kept a straight face throughout the hearing as he sat next to his attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, whom he hired on December 14. The high-profile lawyer expressed concern in court about her client’s rights being violated.
“I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial in this case. He is being prejudiced by some statements made by public officials,” Friedman Agnifilo said, per ABC News. “He is a young man, and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball.”
The attorney specifically cited Mangione’s already infamous perp walk on December 19, where he was escorted from a helicopter by a fleet of heavily armed guards to his first arraignment hearing. Friedman Agnifilo called the display “the biggest staged perp walk I have seen in my career” and claimed that staged perp walks are “unconstitutional.” She also accused the police and New York City Mayor Eric Adams of using her client as “political fodder.”
Mangione has also been hit with federal charges, including one count of using a firearm to commit murder, one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence. The Maryland native could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted of using a firearm to commit murder.
Additional charges were brought against Mangione in Pennsylvania, including forgery and carrying a firearm without a license — both felonies — and three misdemeanors: tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement.
Thompson, 50, was shot at approximately 6:45 a.m. on December 4 while he was walking to the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan for a shareholder’s conference. The CEO was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Thompson’s shooter, a masked man wearing a hood, fled the scene on foot before riding an e-bike into Central Park. He left behind a backpack containing a jacket and Monopoly money, but no weapon.
On December 5, New York authorities released surveillance photos from HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan. The images showed a portion of the shooter’s face. It was revealed that the suspect had arrived in Manhattan on November 24 and checked into the hostel. He checked out on November 29 before checking in again the following day with a fake New Jersey ID.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9. He allegedly had a gun and silencer that were similar to the ones used in the shooting, as well as the fake New Jersey ID that was reportedly used to check into the hostel.
English (US) ·