NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty on a four-count federal indictment charging him with the targeted murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson during his arraignment Friday afternoon in New York federal court.
Mangione is charged with murder through the use of a firearm—which allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty—as well as two counts of stalking and a weapons charge in the Dec. 4 killing. His attorneys have called the top count barbaric and a political stunt.
Mangione, 26, is accused of stalking Thompson, 50, and shooting him in the back outside a Midtown hotel as the CEO arrived to town for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference. He allegedly escaped through Central Park on a bicycle, and was later arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania following a five-day manhunt.
The Ivy League graduate allegedly carried out the crime to send a message to the healthcare industry. He also faces state murder charges for the killing.
1:20 PM - Mangione pleads not guilty to all charges
Mangione pleaded not guilty to all charges in Manhattan federal court, responding "yes" when U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett asked him if he understood the indictment and the charges against him, and announcing his plea as simply "not guilty" before sitting down.
He has been held in federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest, and arrived to court in a mustard-colored jail suit. Mangione sat and chatted with one of his lawyers and death penalty counsel Avi Moskowitz as they waited for the arraignment to begin.
1 PM - Mangione supporters gather around courthouse
12:45 PM - 'Fry Him!' statue by SI artist revealed outside court
Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido unveiled his 'Fry Him!' statue ahead of Mangione's arraignment outside Manhattan federal court. It was soon moved from the front of the courthouse by police.
The statue shows a representation of Luigi Mangione—a skeleton dressed as Nintendo's Luigi—sitting in an electric chair.
LoBaido is known for his patriotic, U.S. flag and political themed artworks, particularly paintings and sculptures.
12 PM - Crowds, protesters gather outside courthouse
Crowds of people waited to get inside the courthouse ahead of Mangione's arraignment, including protesters holding signs that say "Stop the Violence" and "By seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from dysfunctional to barbaric."
The “barbaric” statement referenced Mangione lawyer Karen Agnifilo’s response to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's instructions for federal prosecutors in Manhattan to seek the death penalty.
Among the attendees at the arraignment is Chelsea Manning, an American activist and whistleblower convicted of disclosing nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks.
11:10 AM – Messaging trucks situated outside courthouse
Digital billboard trucks were in place outside the Manhattan federal courthouse on Friday morning, one reading “U.S. insurers DENY treatment, DELAY care & DEFEND their bottom lines … at the cost of lives.”
According to the complaint against Mangione, the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose”—commonly used by insurers to avoid paying claims—were written on the ammunition used in Thompson’s murder.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.