(NEW YORK) — The suspect in the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO entered a not guilty plea on Monday to state murder and terrorism charges. His lawyer argued that the New York mayor’s public comments would hinder his client’s ability to receive a fair trial.
Luigi Mangione, 26, pleaded not guilty while shackled and seated in a Manhattan courtroom. The Manhattan district attorney filed multiple murder charges against him last week.
Mangione’s initial state court appearance was preceded by federal charges related to the shooting. The federal charges carry a potential death penalty, whereas the state charges have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Prosecutors indicated the two cases will proceed separately, with the state case going to trial first.
One of Mangione’s attorneys argued to the judge that government officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, have politicized Mangione’s case, violating his rights and potentially influencing the jury pool.
“I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial,” stated Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch were present with numerous armed officers last Thursday when Mangione was transported to a Manhattan heliport and escorted after extradition from Pennsylvania.
Friedman Agnifilo described Mangione’s return to New York as a staged public spectacle.
“He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest stage perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career. It was absolutely unnecessary,” she stated.
In a statement, Adams’ spokesperson, Kayla Mamelak Altus, responded: “Critics can say all they want, but showing up to support our law enforcement and sending the message to New Yorkers that violence and vitriol have no place in our city is who Mayor Eric Adams is to his core.”
“The cold-blooded assassination of Brian Thompson — a father of two — and the terror it infused on the streets of New York City for days has since been sickeningly glorified, shining a spotlight on the darkest corners of the internet,” Mamelak Altus said.
Friedman Agnifilo also criticized the conflicting legal strategies of federal and state prosecutors, describing their approach as confusing and unusual. “He is being treated like a human pingpong ball between warring jurisdictions here,” she said Monday.
State trial court Judge Gregory Carro stated he has limited control over events outside the courtroom but assured Mangione a fair trial.
Authorities allege Mangione shot Thompson while he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4th.
Mangione was apprehended in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day manhunt, in possession of a gun matching the murder weapon, a fake ID, and a notebook expressing animosity toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.
At a press conference last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg explained that the terrorism charge reflected the severity of a “frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”
“In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror,” he added.
Mangione is detained in a Brooklyn federal jail with other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
During his court appearance Monday, he smiled at times while interacting with his lawyers and stretched his right hand after an officer removed his restraints.
Outside the courthouse, several supporters chanted, “Free Luigi,” accompanied by a trumpet.
Natalie Monarrez, a 55-year-old Staten Island resident, explained her participation in the protest stemmed from losing her mother and life savings due to denied insurance claims.
“As extreme as it was, it jolted the conversation that we need to deal with this issue,” she said of the shooting. “Enough is enough, people are fed up.”
An Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have distanced himself from family and friends in recent months. He frequently posted on online forums about his back pain. He was uninsured, according to the insurer.
Thompson, a married father of two high school students, had worked for UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
The killing has sparked resentment toward U.S. health insurers, with Mangione’s actions potentially reflecting frustrations over coverage denials and high medical bills. It has also caused concern among executives who report a surge in threats.