A smiling Luigi Mangione appeared in court in Manhattan Monday to plead not guilty to first-degree murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 26, entered Manhattan Supreme Court at 9:26 a.m. with his feet chained, wearing a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt, tan khakis, and orange prison shoes.
At least two dozen women packed the courtroom, with just six men watching on.
“How do you plead to this indictment sir? Guilty or not guilty,” asked Judge Gregory Carro.
“Not guilty,” Mangione replied.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued before Judge Carro and ADA Joel Seidemann that she was “very concerned” about her “clients’ right to a fair trial.”
“He’s being prejudiced by some statements made by government officials,” Agnifilo said.
“He’s a young man and he’s being treated like a human pingpong ball.”
Agnifilo, who arrived at 100 Centre Street at 8:30 am, beside her husband Marc Agnifilo, then slammed Mayor Adams and the NYPD for Mangione’s Thursday perp walk — calling Adam’s appearance “unconstitutional.”
“The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocent… he was trying to distract from those issues.”
Mangione, 26, who was hit with federal murder, gun, and stalking charges on Thursday, was also indicted on 11 counts in state court last week, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism as well as second-degree murder and several illegal gun possession charges.
The suspect fled the five boroughs after allegedly shooting Thompson, 50, with a ghost gun outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown before taking off on a Citi Bike and hopping a bus out of dodge.
After a five-day nationwide manhunt, Mangione was busted in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he stopped at a local McDonald’s after getting off a Greyhound bus that was passing through town.
An Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Baltimore family, authorities said Mangione planned the murder months in advance over a gripe with the “parasitic” health insurance industry.
Since then, the accused killer has received sick support from people angered at the healthcare industry.
Mangione is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, but it has yet to be determined if he will go to trial on state or federal murder charges first.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference announcing the charges against Mangione.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges. His next court appearance is slated for February 21st.
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