The man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare's CEO pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and terrorism charges, while his attorney complained that the New York mayor's statements would impede his fair trial.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was handcuffed and sitting in a Manhattan courthouse when he leaned into a microphone to make his plea. The Manhattan district attorney last week formally charged him with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in a state case that will run concurrently with his federal prosecution.
His initial appearance in New York state court was thwarted by federal prosecutors, who brought their own charges in connection with the shooting. The federal charges can result in the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors said the two cases will run concurrently, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
One of Mangione's lawyers told the judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, had turned Mangione into a political pawn, stripping him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.
“I am very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial,” Karen Friedman told Agnifilo.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have filed four new charges against the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione, including a murder charge that could carry the death penalty.
The city's mayor and top police official stood among a crowd of heavily armed officers last Thursday as Mangione was flown to a Manhattan heliport and slowly escorted to the pier after being extradited from Pennsylvania.
“I wanted to look him in the eye and tell him that you committed this terrorist act in my city – the city that the people of New York love,” the mayor told a local TV station.
Friedman Agnifilo accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories, calling their approach confusing and highly unusual. “He is treated here like a human ping-pong ball between warring jurisdictions,” she said on Monday.
State Trial Court Judge Gregory Carro responded that he had little control over what happened outside the courtroom, but said he could ensure Mangione received a fair trial.
Authorities say Mangione shot Brian Thompson as he headed to an investor conference in downtown Manhattan on Dec. 4.
Police said Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania after a five-day search. He was carrying a gun matching the one used in the shooting and a fake ID. According to federal prosecutors, he carried a notebook in which he expressed hostility towards the health insurance industry, especially wealthy executives.
Murder intended to 'cause terror': district attorney
At the news conference where the state charges were announced last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the application of the anti-terrorism law reflected the seriousness of “a horrific, well-planned and targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, attention and intimidation.”
“In the simplest terms, it was a murder intended to cause terror,” he added.
Mangione is being held in a federal prison in Brooklyn along with several other high-profile defendants, including Sean (Diddy) Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Outside the courthouse where Mangione appeared on Monday, several dozen supporters chanted “Free Luigi” to the sound of a trumpet.
Natalie Monarrez, a 55-year-old Staten Island resident, said she joined the demonstration because she lost her mother and her life savings after her insurance claims were denied.
“Even though it was extreme, it stirred the conversation that we need to deal with this issue,” she said of the shooting. “Enough is enough, people are fed up.”
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family, has apparently distanced himself from family and friends in recent months. He often published information on online forums about his struggles with back pain. He has never been a UnitedHealthcare customer, according to the insurer.
Thompson, a married father of two high school students, worked for 20 years at the giant UnitedHealth Group and in 2021 became CEO of its insurance division.
The killing prompted some to express their distaste for U.S. health insurers, with Mangione substituting frustrations with being denied coverage and high medical bills. It also sent shockwaves through the corporate world, prompting fury among executives claiming they had received a spike in threats.