Mangione is facing two separate indictments on state and federal charges
THE suspect accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was pictured cracking a huge grin in court and later in the back of a police vehicle after pleading not guilty to state charges.
Luigi Mangione returned to court on Monday, where he was seen smiling from ear to ear beside his defense team after being arraigned on 11 criminal counts related to the December 4 k!!lling of Brian Thompson.
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Luigi Mangione cracks a smile as he’s arraigned on 11 criminal charges in connection with UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s mu::rderCredit: EPA
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Luigi Mangione grins from ear to ear as he leaves Manhattan Criminal CourtCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Protesters gathered outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in support of MangioneCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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A demonstrator holds a cardboard sign that reads ‘Health over wealth’Credit: Reuters
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Luigi Mangione was flanked by NYPD detectives as he arrived at Manhattan Criminal CourtCredit: AFP or licensors
Mangione, who was handcuffed and shackled by the wrists and ankles, emerged at the downtown Manhattan Criminal Courthouse just before 9:30 am.
Wearing a burgundy sweater over a white collared shirt, khaki pants, and orange prison sneakers, Mangione was flanked by New York detectives who escorted him inside the courtroom.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, raised concerns about her client’s ability to obtain a fair trial.
“He’s a young man, and he’s being treated like a human ping-pong ball by two warring jurisdictions here,” Agnifilo argued.
“They’re treating him like a human spectacle.”
Agnifilo underscored Mayor Eric Adam’s presence on Thursday at the Wall Street heliport, where dozens of armed New York police officers and FBI officials waited for Mangione to arrive after being extradited from Pennsylvania.
“What was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference – that is utterly political,” the attorney said.
“The New York City mayor should know more than anyone the presumption of innocence.”
However, Judge Gregory Carro assured Agnifilo that Mangione would receive a fair trial, saying, “We will carefully select a jury.”
Dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse in frigid temperatures, holding up “Free Luigi” and anti-insurance signs.
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The demonstrators held up cardboard signs that read “Health over wealth” and “Deny, defense, depose” – the three words prosecutors said Mangione engraved on the shell casings of three bullets he used to assassinate Thompson, 50.
Moments before the court hearing began, several young women waited in line to enter the courthouse to attend Mangione’s arraignment, according to WCBS-TV.
Some of the women, who are believed to be in their 20s, told the outlet it was “the first time they’ve come for a court case,” and they were there to support Mangione.
About two dozen women gained access to seats in the courtroom gallery, according to ABC News.
Most of the women wore face masks, and few appeared visibly emotional.
“This is a grave injustice, and that’s why people are here,” one of the women told ABC News outside the courthouse.
Mangione’s next court date in state court is scheduled for February 21.
He is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted on the state charges.
Luigie Mangione’s attorney raised concerns that he will not receive a fair trial, saying he’s being treated like a ‘human ping-pong ball’Credit: AP:Associated Press
Mangione pleaded not guilty on Monday to 11 criminal counts, including first-degree mur:derCredit: AP:Associated Press
Mangione cracks a smile as he looks down at court documents that were presented by his defense teamCredit: EPA
FEDERAL INDICTMENT
Mangione was immediately placed in federal custody after federal prosecutors unsealed a four-count indictment against the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate.
Federal prosecutors said that on the morning of December 4, Mangione waited for Thompson near the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan for approximately one hour, the indictment read.
When Mangione saw Thompson, he fired several shots before fleeing on foot to West 55th Street, where he mounted an electric bicycle and rode towards Central Park.
A large-scale five-day manhunt for the assassin ensued and ended when police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles west of the Hilton hotel, received a tip from a McDonald’s employee who recognized Mangione from the shooter’s wanted posters in New York.
Mangione was arrested after he presented Altoona police with a fake New Jersey identification with the name Mark Rosario, which investigators said was the same document he used to check into a hostel in the Upper West Side days before Thompson’s mu::rder.
The suspect also had a backpack in his possession, which contained a loaded 9mm pistol equipped with a silencer, a notebook, and thousands of dollars in cash, according to the federal indictment.
Brian Thompson was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcareCredit: Rex
Federal prosecutors said Mangione waited for Thompson outside the Hilton hotel for about an hour on the morning of December 4Credit: AP:Associated Press
NYC Mayor Eric Adams accompanied dozens of NYPD officers and FBI officials as they awaited Luigi Mangione’s arrival at a Wall Street heliport on December 19Credit: Reuters
‘CALCULATED PLAN’
“The Notebook contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particle,” court filings read.
Prosecutors said Mangione had been planning out Thompson’s assassination as early as August 15.
“The details are finally coming together, The details are finally coming together, and I’m glad – in a way – that I’ve procrastinated,” Mangione allegedly wrote, saying the delay helped him learn more about UnitedHealthcare.
He also allegedly “targeted insurance” because it “checks every box.”
In an October 22 entry, Mangione allegedly wrote, “1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall… and – most importantly – the message became self evident.”
He also described his intent to “wack” the CEO of one of the insurance companies at the investor conference, which prosecutors said was Thompson.
Thompson was on his way to an investor conference being held at the Hilton Midtown on the day he was assassinated.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Mangione committed the “brazen, targeted, fatal shooting” to invoke terror.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted m:u:rder that was intended to cause shock, and attention, and intimidation,” Bragg said at a press conference on December 17.
“It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike – commenters and business people just starting out on their day.
“This was a k!lling to invoke terror.
“This was not an ordinary k!lling, not to suggest that any k!lling ordinary, but this was extraordinary, and the New York State Legislature has set out both the paths, both the m:u:rder one and mu::rder two, and this, we allege, is squarely within those statutes which talk about intending to do exactly what we saw happen here.”
Bragg’s office told ABC News the state will “proceed in parallel with any federal case.”
The mu::rder through the use of a firearm against Mangione makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
