On Friday, Luigi Mangione pleaded ‘not guilty’ to federal charges of stalking and killing Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Federal prosecutors accused Mangione of a fatal street shooting
Back in December, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson right out in the open, on a street in Midtown Manhattan.
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He enters a not guilty plea dressed in prison uniform
On April 25, Mangione showed up in court in New York wearing the prison outfit. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. This wasn’t the first time either, he previously did to the same murder on the state level, too.
Prosecutors are actually seeking the death penalty
Not long before that court appearance, prosecutors filed paperwork saying they’re planning to go for the death penalty.
In the courtroom, the judge gave a deadline
4 terabytes of evidence from the government needs to be handed over to the defense by May 27. And everyone’s supposed to be back in court on December 5, which is just a little over a year since the shooting, to discuss trial dates.
The evidence submitted so far isn’t really helping his case
Mangione’s also facing charges over in Pennsylvania, where they caught him after five days on the run. Cops found him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, carrying a 9mm ghost gun, a bunch of fake IDs, and something that looked like a manifesto bashing the American health insurance system.
His attorneys push for the federal trial to happen first
Mangione’s lawyers want the federal case to go first because it’s the one where the death penalty’s on the table. He’s already pled not guilty to the New York charges but hasn’t officially said anything in court yet in Pennsylvania.
The defense, on the other hand, calls it a political stunt and fights back
His lawyers are calling BS on that. They’re saying this is all a political show and that it’s already messed up any shot at a fair trial. They’re trying to stop the US Department of Justice from even going for the death penalty.
Mangione already got a lot of support, including online donations
He’s got fans—lots of them. A fundraiser on GiveSendGo has pulled in over $900,000 for his defense. Just like before, people lined up outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan, hoping to get inside and watch the hearing.
Apparently, his legal team thinks their calls with him in prison are being leaked
His legal team also told the judge they think someone’s been listening in on their calls with him and leaking info to the prosecutors. The judge told the government to explain what they’re doing to protect his rights and to put it all in writing by May 2.
Right now, Mangione’s locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (the same place P.Diddy is being held).
