Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder of healthcare CEO

The suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges in New York state.

Luigi Mangione, 26, appeared in court on Monday to stand trial on 11 criminal charges, including murder as a terrorist offence.

He also faces federal charges of stalking and murder that could result in the death penalty.

Prosecutors allege that Mr. Mangione shot Mr. Thompson in midtown Manhattan before fleeing. Authorities later arrested him at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania.

Mangione appeared in court Monday wearing a maroon blazer, white collared shirt and khaki pants.

In addition to the long crowd of journalists waiting for the suspect to appear, members of the public – almost all young women – were present in court, some of whom told CBS, the BBC’s partner in the US, that they were there to show their support. .

Mr. Mangione faces 11 felony charges in New York State, including first-degree murder and murder as a terrorist offense.

If convicted on all charges, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Federal prosecutors also separately charged Mr. Mangione with use of a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death. Both charges could make him eligible for the death penalty.

He has not yet entered a plea to these charges.

Prosecutors said the federal and state cases will move parallel to each other.

In court last week, Mangione’s lawyer – Karen Friedman Agnifilo – said the two sets of charges appeared to conflict, with the state charges accusing him of seeking to “intimidate or coerce the civilian population” while the federal charges focus on crimes against a civil society. individual.

Ms Agnifilo said the overlapping cases were “confusing” and “highly unusual”.

“I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening here” in her 30 years of practicing law, she said.

In court Monday, she also told the judge that she believes statements by public officials — including New York City Mayor Eric Adams — make her “deeply concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial.”

“This is a young man,” she said. “He’s being treated like a human ping pong ball between the warring regions here.”

Judge Gregory Caro said he was unable to control what happened outside court, but pledged that Mr. Mangione would get a fair trial.

The suspect is currently in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn after being returned to New York amid heightened security last week.

Authorities believe Mr. Mangione carried out the targeted killing of Mr. Thompson, citing evidence suggesting he was angry at the American health care industry.

The federal complaint notes that a notebook found in Mr. Mangione’s possession expressed “hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”

Some on social media praised Mr. Mangione’s alleged crimes, often sharing their anger at the private health care system in the United States.

Speaking to CBS, the BBC’s US partner, on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the online rhetoric was “deeply troubling.”

“It speaks to what is happening here in this country,” he said. “Unfortunately, we see this manifested in the violence and domestic violent extremism that exists.”