Luigi Mangione, 27, appeared in a Manhattan court for a pretrial hearing on Monday, almost a year after the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , 50, for which he has been charged. The charges followed a five-day nationwide manhunt that ended with Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
His defence team contested in the pretrial hearing to dismiss evidence they argue was improperly obtained, which prosecutors claim links the wealthy, Ivy League-educated defendant to the targeted killing of the health insurance executive.
Mangione’s defence lawyer requested that he be unshackled and allowed to wear civilian clothes after being forced to wear a jumpsuit and have his ankles shackled in past proceedings, according to court filings. He wore a grey suit jacket with a checkered button-up on Monday as supporters filled the court rows and protested outside the Manhattan courthouse amid lower 40 degree temperatures.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state and federal murder charges, which threaten to put the young man behind bars for life or, worse, put him on death row. This comes after his legal team managed to get state terrorism charges pursued against him by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dismissed in September.
His state murder trial date has not yet been scheduled.
Contested evidence
Mangione’s defence team is arguing that the investigation was conducted unconstitutionally, thus compromising his arrest and right to a fair trial. The case has attracted global attention, with several documentaries already produced, which the defence team believes infringes on Mangione’s rights.
The evidence they are seeking to dismiss includes a 9 mm handgun, which prosecutors claim matches the one used in the murder, and a notebook allegedly containing the suspect’s manifesto, suggesting premeditation of the crime.
The defence argues that this evidence should be dismissed as they believe the police did not have a warrant to search the backpack where these items were discovered. They also aim to discard initial statements Mangione reportedly made to the police before he was read his Miranda Rights.
Notorious killing
Achieving these victories would be a significant accomplishment for the defence team and a major blow to the prosecution, who would then lack a murder weapon and evidence of a motive to link Mangione, born into a prominent Maryland family, to the murder.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has referred to Mangione’s alleged handwritten diary in court documents, including his supposed admiration for Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Prosecutors argue that Mangione contemplated rebelling against “the deadly, greed fuelled health insurance cartel” and stated that killing an industry executive “conveys a greedy b*****d that had it coming.”
Timeline for justice
Mangione’s legal team is seeking to exclude evidence from both cases, however, this week’s hearings are solely related to the state case. The subsequent hearing in the federal case is set for 9th January.
Court officials anticipate that the hearings commencing Monday will extend beyond a week, potentially placing Mangione in court on the anniversary of Thompson’s death.
Since his arrest, Mangione has been detained in the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, sharing quarters with notable figures such as Sean “P Diddy” Combs.
