NEW YORK - Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging that he stalked and murdered the insurance executive.
Mangione entered the not guilty plea during an arraignment on April 25 that came after a federal grand jury indicted him on four charges, including two counts of stalking, a weapons offense and murder through the use of a firearm. If convicted Mangione could be sentenced to death.
Ahead of the arraignment, prosecutors filed a notice that they intend to pursue capital punishment, arguing that Mangione "presents a future danger because he expressed intent to target an entire industry." Mangione's attorneys have sought to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.
Mangione entered the courtroom around 1 p.m. wearing a tan jail uniform and a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his forearms. He had a bit of stubble growing and gave a slight smile to his attorneys as he sat waiting for U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett. Mangione stood as he entered his plea and indicated he had seen the indictment and didn't need it read in court.
After the hearing, Mangione stood consulting with his legal team for several minutes. He left the courtroom without handcuffs and was ordered back into custody. Meanwhile, onlookers, including members of the press and a group of Mangione supporters, stood on their toes trying to get a final glimpses of the suspect before court officials ushered them out.
Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who served seven years in prison for leaking thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks, attended the arraignment and criticized what she called hasty criminal cases against Mangione. "We don't do that in our justice system. We don't speed-run justice," Manning told reporters outside the courthouse.
The arraignment lasted less than an hour and centered mostly on scheduling; however, it was not without tension. At one point, Mangione's attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the judge that federal officials had been eavesdropping on Mangione's calls with his lawyers, appearing to flout his right to attorney-client privilege. Federal officials said this had been "inadvertent," Friedman told the judge.
Garnett asked the government to submit a letter ensuring Mangione access to a separate phone line for his legal calls.
Garnett also ordered the Justice Department to limit public commentary on the case by senior officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, to allow a fair trial for Mangione. Bondi had publicly instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Mangione and has commented on the case on social media and in television appearances.
Garnett said Mangione's federal trial would not start until next year and set the next conference date for Dec. 5.
In the meantime, Mangione's attorneys say they plan to file several pretrial motions, including a motion seeking to dismiss the death penalty and drop certain charges, as well as one on whether the government was suppressing evidence beneficial to Mangione's defense.
In addition to the four federal charges, Mangione also faces murder and terrorism charges in New York state, as well as gun possession and other charges in Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges and no trial date has been set in either case.
Authorities say Mangione arrived in New York City by bus days before the Dec. 4 shooting and checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
A complaint filed in federal court says on Dec. 4 Mangione waited near the Hilton Midtown for about an hour before he spotted Thompson, approached him from behind and shot him in the back and leg. Mangione fled on a bike into Central Park before taking a taxi to a bus terminal in Upper Manhattan, according to court records.
Five days later, an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, called the police after recognizing Mangione from images of the suspect that were released by the New York Police Department, authorities said. Mangione handed arriving officers a fake New Jersey ID that was used at the New York City hostel days earlier and was subsequently arrested.
Police officials said they have since matched the gun found in Mangione's possession to casings discovered outside the hotel where Thompson was fatally shot. Investigators also matched Mangione's fingerprints to those found on a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper near the scene of the killing, officials said.
Authorities have not identified a motive in the killing, but have pointed to writings they found in Mangione's possession that "express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular," a complaint filed in federal court says.
Authorities say the notebook described an intention to "wack" the CEO of a major insurance company at its investors conference. "The target is insurance" because it "checks every box," the writings say, according to a complaint.
Police also found at the scene shell casings with the words "deny," "delay," and "depose" written on the side, a likely reference to health insurers and how they respond to claims.
Mangione's attorneys in Pennsylvania and New York have argued that he was unlawfully searched during his arrest and have pledged to try to exclude from court the evidence uncovered in the search, including the handgun, 3D printed silencer and notebook.
The killing of Thompson and Mangione's subsequent arrest has led to condemnation from officials, worry among corporate executives and outspoken vitriol against the U.S. health care system.
Shortly after the killing, companies announced they were evaluating security measures, cancelling in-person events and scrubbing their websites of top executives' biographies and photographs.
Meanwhile, Mangione's court proceedings have drawn crowds of supports, with many holding "Free Luigi" signs and some even writing him heart-shaped notes. A fundraiser to help pay for Mangione's legal defense has received over $950,000 as of April 25.
After the arraignment, a small crowd of people gathered in Foley Square across the street. Several people wore green hats from the Super Mario character Luigi, a popular nod indicating support of Mangione. People also posed with Breigh Marquisette's life-sized cardboard cutout of Mangione in an orange jail jumpsuit, which read "Presumed Innocent."
Marquisette, 45, a paralegal, drove from Philadelphia with the cutout she purchased for $55 on eBay. She estimated it was about 2 inches short of his actual height.
In February, she stood outside in freezing temperatures when Mangione appeared in Manhattan federal court, but she had no signs of support then. On a sunny afternoon on April 25, she donned a black cap and green T-shirt, both reading "Free Luigi," and green Nike Dunks, which she said were originally a tribute to the Eagles.
Marquisette acknowledged the absurdity of aspects of the rally. Many attendees simply found Mangione attractive, she said.
However, she said Mangione is a symbol against corporate greed and an ineffective American health care system. Now, he stands for due process to her.
"In the real world, he's presumed innocent," she said. "He has his trial. He has his day in court. The jury makes a decision. We all go home and have a nice day. But right now, we have politics involved."
She felt the Trump administration unfairly is preventing him from a fair trial, especially as prosecutors seek the death penalty. She compared it to the El Paso shooter, who murdered 23 Latinos in a racist attack but recently took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
In the coming months, the court will decide whether the death penalty against Mangione is warranted. The judge ordered Mangione back into custody. He's held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center, in Brooklyn.