What's New
The judge overseeing pretrial hearings for Luigi Mangione is married to a former Pfizer executive, according to a report.
Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker's husband, Bret Parker, left Pfizer, where he was vice president and assistant general counsel, in 2010, journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on his Substack page.
The judge also holds hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock, including in Pfizer and other health-care and pharmaceutical companies, according to her 2023 financial disclosures.
Parker is presiding over pretrial hearings in Mangione's federal case, but is not expected to oversee his trial.
Newsweek has contacted Parker for comment via an email to her office outside regular business hours. Mangione's attorney has been contacted for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Mangione, 26, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he walked to his company's annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown early on December 4. The killing sparked an outpouring of stories about resentment toward health insurance companies in the U.S. with some viewing the shooter as a folk hero, while also shaking corporate America and leading some companies to reevaluate security protocols.
Parker's ties to the health-care industry raise concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
Mangione's lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo has raised concerns about his client's right to a fair trial and said he was being used for "political fodder." "He is being prejudiced by some statements made by public officials," she said in court on Monday.
State trial court Judge Gregory Carro said on Monday that he can guarantee Mangione will receive a fair trial, though he added that he has little control over what happens outside the courtroom, The Associated Press reported.
What To Know
Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges during an arraignment on Monday. He is also facing federal charges of stalking and murder, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
He made his initial appearance in Manhattan's federal court on Thursday after being extradited from Pennsylvania, with Parker presiding over the hearing.
According to Klippenstein, Parker holds between $50,000 and $100,000 in Pfizer stock, and her husband still collects a pension from Pfizer. He has been the executive director of the New York City Bar Association since 2013, according to his LinkedIn page. He has been contacted for comment via email.
The judge also holds stock in other health-care, pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Abbott Laboratories, Viatris and CRISPR Therapeutics. She also has holdings in Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, Apple and other companies.
A handwritten note that was found on Mangione after his arrest referred to some of these companies.
"United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the U.S. by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart," the note said.
"It has grown and grown, but [h]as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it."
What People Are Saying
The popular @ProudSocialist X account posted: "This is a major conflict of interest. This judge needs to recuse themselves in order for Luigi Mangione to get a fair trial."
The New York Post's senior courts reporter Ben Kochman wrote on X: "She won't be the judge presiding over his bail hearing, pretrial evidence disputes etc. magistrate judges just handle admin matters mostly."
Friedman Agnifilo in court on Monday: "I am very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial in this case. He is being prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials.
"Like every other defendant, he's entitled to a presumption of innocence. But unfortunately, the way this has been handled so far, his rights are being violated, and as you know, Your Honor, there's a wealth of case law guaranteeing his right to a fair trial, but none of the safeguards have been put in place yet here, in fact, it's just the opposite of what's been happening. He's a young man, and he is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between two warring jurisdictions."
What's Next
Mangione is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He will likely remain there while pretrial motions begin for both the state and federal cases against him.
Mangione's next federal court date is January 18. His next state court appearance was set for February 21.
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