NEW YORK– Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom on Monday to file charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel earlier this month.
Mangione faces 11 charges, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism.
His next court appearance was scheduled for February 21.
Prosecutors allege Mangione was found in possession of what is believed to be the murder weaponand surveillance video shows a man matching his description before and after the attackalso outside the Hilton where Thompson was shot in the back.
An important difference between the state and federal charges Mangione faces is that the state claims the shooting was an act of terror. Additionally, the federal charges open the possibility of the death penalty.
Mangione, 26, is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after he appeared in federal court last week.
What happened during Luigi Mangione’s court appearance
Mangione entered the courtroom with his hands and feet shackled. He wore a maroon sweater over a white-collared shirt and khaki pants.
Seth Wenig / AP
Mangione leaned forward and said “not guilty” into the microphone as the judge asked him to enter his plea.
He spoke calmly and at length with his lawyers during his brief appearance in court. His hands were freed long enough for him to sign some papers. He appeared to be listening intently as his attorney spoke to the judge.
Mangione was flanked by four officers as he sat in the courtroom.
Prosecutors said in court that federal prosecutors have assured them the state case will proceed before the federal trial.
Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo requested immediate, expedited discovery in the case. Prosecutors said the amount of discovery material is extensive, including thousands of hours of surveillance video.
‘He’s being treated like a human ping-pong ball’
Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione faces two proceedings, one with the possibility of the death penalty, and she told the court she is “very concerned” about Mangione’s ability to receive a fair trial, saying that statements by government officials have been detrimental.
“He’s a young man and he’s being treated like a human ping-pong ball, between two warring jurisdictions here. These federal and state prosecutors are coordinating with each other to his detriment. They have conflicting theories in their indictments, and they are literally treating him like he’s some kind of political fodder, like some kind of spectacle,” Friedman Agnifilo said. “He was on display for all to see during the largest staged perp walk I have ever seen in my career. It was absolutely not necessary. He cooperated with the police. He had been in custody for more than a week. He waived extradition. ”
Friedman Agnifilo also disagreed with Mayor Eric Adams’ presence when Mangione returned to New York because it was “political.”
“He is not a symbol. He is someone who has the right to a fair trial. He is innocent until proven guilty. And the mayor talked to jurors, future potential jurors, those are the people who elected him, who he talks to , and this man is a terrorist,” said Friedman Agnifilo “I just want to put this on record and make everyone aware that this has to stop. My client has the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.”
Bail was set at $1, but that is purely symbolic because he is already in federal prison.
The long line of reporters waiting to enter the courtroom Monday morning included members of the public — almost all of them young women — some of whom told Ali Bauman of CBS News New York that they were there to support Mangione. Outside the courthouse, CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner reported that about 20 people had gathered to show their support for Mangione.
As Mangione left the courtroom, some of the women present gave him the thumbs up.
Mangione faces both state and federal charges
Like him, Mangione was flanked by heavily armed guards extradited from Pennsylvania to New York last Thursday. He subsequently appeared in federal court on charges of stalking and murder.
In a statement, Friedman Agnifilo called the federal charges “highly unusual” and said they raise “serious constitutional and statutory double threats.”
The federal complaint revealed Mangione was found with a notebook with handwritten pages expressing “hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his office is cooperating with the federal government and that although the cases are happening at the same time, the trials will have to take place at different times. Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Kim said he expects the state’s case to proceed first.
