Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in New York on Monday. Mangione, 26, entered court with his hands and feet shackled, wearing a white collared shirt under a maroon sweater and light colored pants in his arraignment before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro.
Mangione replied “not guilty” to the charges listed in the 11-count indictment in connection with the shooting, which include: first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Judge Carro ordered Mangione to remain in custody, in lieu of $1 bail, which was set by Carro was a perfunctory act (since Mangione is being held in federal custody without bail, and has no realistic chance of freedom until trial).
Prosecutor Joel Saidman said the Manhattan district attorney’s office will try the case before Mangione faces federal charges as it has “primary jurisdiction” in the case. If convicted of the state charges, Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mangione could face the death penalty from the federal murder charge but it would have to be signed off on by the attorney general. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York did not indicate last week if he will seek the death penalty.
Meanwhile, Mangione’s defense attorneys allege that police are parading their client around in “perp walks” that are “perfectly choreographed, utterly political.” Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, said she was concerned the spectacle surrounding her client’s case: “I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial. He is a young man and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball, between two warring jurisdictions here. These federal and state prosecutors are coordinating with one another at the expense of him. They have conflicting theories in their indictments, and they are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle. He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career. It was absolutely unnecessary. He’s been cooperative with law enforcement. He had been in custody for over a week. He waived extradition.”
Friedman Agnifilo also took issue with Mayor Eric Adams’ presence when Mangione was returned to New York was “political…there was absolutely no need whatsoever, and frankly the mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence that he too is afforded when dealing with his own issues, and frankly I submit he was trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr Mangione.”
Mangione is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after he appeared in federal court last week. His next New York City court date was set for Feb. 21.
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