NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City and leading authorities on a five-day manhunt appeared in court Friday for the first time since his December arraignment on state murder and terror charges.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was at the hearing in state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors and Mangione's defense lawyers provided updates on the status of the case and Judge Gregory Carro set deadlines for pretrial paperwork.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson outside the New York Hilton hotel in Midtown. The executive was ambushed and shot on a sidewalk as he walked to an investor conference.
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3:30 PM -- Defense challenges evidence handling
During the hearing, the defense requested a motion schedule, stating that all discovery materials must be provided before filing legal motions, including those concerning the possibility of the death penalty.
The defense argued that key materials, particularly police records and body camera footage from Altoona, Pennsylvania. where Mangione was arrested after a five-day manhunt, had not been fully turned over.
So far, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has only provided one body camera video and some police paperwork, which was obtained through Mangione’s Pennsylvania counsel.
The defense also challenged the legality of Mangione’s arrest and search in Pennsylvania, arguing that potential constitutional violations could impact his right to a fair trial.
“We’re talking about there are three separate prosecutions that are happening about one event," Friedman Agnifilo said, renewing her complaint that Mangione is being treated differently than other defendants because of the notoriety of the crime.
“One of the issues here is that the two theories of prosecution are opposite and inconsistent with one another," Friedman Agnifilo told Carro, urging him to hold off on setting deadlines for pretrial court filings. “By defending ourselves in state court we are potentially providing fodder for the federal case.”
The judge set a timeline for the case, requiring legal motions to be submitted by April 9, with responses due by May 9. A decision on these motions is expected by June 26. Agnifilo said she would be seeking to suppress some evidence seized during Mangione’s arrest.
“I don’t know about any other case in federal court or anywhere else. I’m dealing with this case," Carro said, telling Friedman Agnifilo: “The sooner we order the hearings, the sooner you’ll have your suppression hearing.”
During the hearing, the defense requested a brief private discussion with Mangione. The judge allowed them a moment to confer. The defense also raised concerns that Mangione was being treated differently from other defendants, saying that he remained shackled in court when others in similar situations were not.
Throughout the hearing, Mangione’s supporters could be heard loudly cheering from the hallway.
1:50 PM -- Crowd cheers Mangione's attorney at criminal court
A large crowd of Luigi Mangione supporters cheers his attorney Karen Agnifilo as she arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court for a hearing Friday. A judge may set a trial date for Mangione, who's accused of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO in December.
So many people showed up at the courthouse—many wearing green "L" hats reminiscent of Luigi in the Mario games—that those who arrived later in the day were unable to get in and were protesting outside.
At least 50 supporters were in the courthouse, with dozens more said to be outside. Among those in line to enter the courtroom was Chelsea Manning.
11:45 AM -- Supporters fill courthouse hours before hearing
1010 WINS reporter Mary-Lyn Buckley estimated at least 100 supporters of Mangione were at the courthouse, where they lined a hallway to get into the courtroom and overflow rooms hours before the 2 p.m. hearing. A truck circled the area blasting images of him, including a digital billboard that depicted him as a saint.
In a statement posted on a website for his legal defense, Mangione said: “I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions."
11 AM -- Mangione faces multiple state and federal cases
In addition to the New York state charges, Mangione faces federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty. He is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. A Feb. 24 hearing in Pennsylvania on charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police was canceled.
Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Dec. 9. Police said he was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, authorities said.
Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued at his Dec. 23 arraignment that “warring jurisdictions” had turned Mangione into a “human ping-pong ball.”
She accused Mayor Eric Adams and other government officials of tainting the jury pool by bringing Mangione back to Manhattan in a choreographed spectacle involving heavily armed officers escorting him up a pier from a heliport.
Friedman Agnifilo singled out Adams’ comment on a local TV station that he wanted to be there to look “him in the eye and say, ‘you carried out this terroristic act in my city.’”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.