Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murdering healthcare CEO

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

Luigi Mangione, 26, appeared in court on Monday to face 11 federal charges, including terrorism-related murder.

He also faces federal charges of stalking and aggravated murder.

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

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

As well as dozens of journalists waiting for the suspect to appear, people – almost all young women – were in court, and some told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that they were there to show their support. .

Mr. Mangione faces 11 federal charges in New York, including first degree murder and first degree murder.

If convicted of all these charges, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have also charged Mangione individually with the use of a firearm to kill and the stalking that led to the killing. Both charges would make him eligible for the death penalty.

He has not yet entered a plea to those charges.

Prosecutors say the federal and state cases will go forward together.

In court last week, Mangione’s lawyer – Karen Friedman Agnifilo – said the two cases appeared to be at odds, with the government accusing them of trying to “intimidate or coerce civilians” while the government focused on charges against the government. individually.

Ms Agnifilo said the ongoing charges were “disturbing” and “very unusual”.

“I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening here” in his 30 years in law enforcement, he said.

In court on Monday, he also told the judge that he believed the statements made by government officials – including New York City Mayor Eric Adams – made him “deeply concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial”.

“This is a boy,” he said. “They’re being played like a ping-pong ball between the war zones here.”

The judge, Gregory Carro, said he was unable to control what happened outside the courtroom, but he vowed to give Mangione 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 killed Mr. Thompson, citing evidence that he was angry at the US medical industry.

The federal complaint said the copy found in Mr. Mangione’s possession showed “hostility toward health insurance companies and wealthy executives in particular.”

Others on social media praised Mangione’s alleged crimes, and often shared their anger with the US medical community.

Speaking to CBS, the BBC’s US partner, on Sunday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that the online claims “have become very dangerous”.

“This speaks to what is happening in this country,” he said. “And unfortunately we see that reflected in the violence, the domestic violence that exists.”