Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to Manhattan federal court charges that he stalked and murdered the UnitedHealthcare chief executive, Brian Thompson, late last year.
Mr Mangione (26), walked into court just before 1pm, wearing tan jail garb with a white long-sleeved undershirt. He chatted with his lawyers, who sat alongside him, and at one point appeared to smile.
Judge Margaret M Garnett asked Mr Mangione to stand, and he confirmed to the justice that he had seen a copy of the indictment and had had enough time to discuss it with his lawyers.
Judge Garnett asked Mr Mangione his plea, to which he replied, “Not guilty.”
Australia’s China ties in focus as election rivals hunt for votes
Wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia caught up in one of US’s key ideological flashpoints
‘Harvard people’ squaring up for battle royale with White House over politics, power and privilege
Showdown between Reform and Labour as crucial UK byelection looms
Mr Mangione could face the death penalty in a case that shocked the US over the killing of a top business executive on New York’s streets, but also triggered an outpouring of anger against the US for-profit healthcare industry.
As with prior proceedings, throngs of supporters of Mr Mangione queued to secure a much-coveted seat in court. Many sported medical masks or sunglasses, or both, and were reticent about speaking to media, but did attack the healthcare system.
“I am a chronically ill person. I live in chronic pain,” one woman told the Guardian in explaining why she was at court. She said she had never been in “that much medical debt” compared to others, but “when I say not that much I mean like $30,000”.
Even if it were proved that Mr Mangione killed Mr Thompson, she said, she believes his guilt embodies an ethical grey area. The healthcare industry kills thousands and Mr Mangione was one man, she claimed. “One life [versus] like a thousand lives, that moral dilemma,” she said.
When asked about the announcement that prosecutors would seek the death penalty, she said: “It’s state-sanctioned murder. He’s a political prisoner – school shooters don’t get that.”
As those waiting in line chatted, a truck displaying support for Mr Mangione repeatedly drove by the courthouse. The intelligence whistleblower Chelsea Manning was among those in line.
Mr Mangione’s arraignment comes months after his arrest for allegedly gunning down Mr Thompson outside a New York hotel on December 4th last. He was apprehended on December 9th at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a restaurant worker purportedly recognised him from law enforcement advisories and tipped off police.
In federal court, Mr Mangione faces charges of stalking, murder through use of a firearm, and firearms offences. He is also charged with a host of murder and firearms counts in New York state court.
Pennsylvania state prosecutors are also pursuing a case against him related to alleged weapons possession and false identification. He has also maintained his innocence in the state cases.
While Mr Mangione was already staring down the prospect of life imprisonment following his arrest, Donald Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, raised the stakes several weeks ago by announcing that she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
Ms Bondi called Thompson’s killing “a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America”. She stated that her decision was in keeping with “President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again”.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mr Mangione’s lead defence attorney, raised several constitutional points during the proceeding. She said there was a “handshake deal” forged between Manhattan prosecutors and former US president Joe Biden’s justice department, under which his state case would be tried first.
But now that federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, Ms Friedman Agnifilo said they will fight this plan. – Guardian
