Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December, made his first court appearance since his dramatic arraignment.
Shackled and donning a bulletproof vest, Mangione didn’t speak as he was paraded into a New York State court on Friday in front of dozens of news reporters as protesters demanded his release outside.
During the short court appearance, defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued that Mangione “is being treated differently” by authorities because of the “unusual” circumstances surrounding his case.
“He’s constantly surrounded by law enforcement. He’s in shackles. He was wearing a vest today … I don’t understand what this, this show of danger is for,” she said to the media afterward.
The alleged CEO killer is being held in the infamous Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal jail, and Friedman Agnifilo claims authorities refuse to transfer him to a state facility, making it harder for her to meet her client. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks. A Feb. 24 hearing in Pennsylvania on charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police was canceled.
Luigi Mangione, accused killer of US insurance CEO Brian Thompson, arrives for a hearing in New York City on February 21, 2025. Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson in a brazen hit in New York on December 4, 2024, pleaded not guilty to state …
The 26-year-old has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. He also faces federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty.
The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.
In a statement posted on a website for his legal defense, Mangione said: “I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions.”
Shocking video shows CEO gunned down in ‘targeted attack’
Video obtained by FOX 5 NY shows the moment Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
The backstory:
Thompson was shot and killed back on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in what the NYPD immediately said appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack.”
Thompson was shot shortly before his UnitedHealthcare annual investors meeting. According to the Fortune 500 company’s website, Thompson had served as CEO since April 2021.
Mangione led authorities on a five-day manhunt before being arrested back on Dec. 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. According to police, he was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID. He was also carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, authorities said.
The killing prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione attracting a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. A poll taken in the wake of the shooting showed most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share blame.
