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Mangione pleads not blameworthy to national charges
Luigi Mangione pleaded not blameworthy Friday to national execution and stalking charges arsenic a premix of supporters, onlookers and others gathered astatine the national courthouse successful New York City.
A enactment — which began forming astir 5 p.m. the erstwhile evening — stretched successful beforehand of the entrance, with radical anxious to spot the 26-year-old charged with ambushing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a hubby and begetter of two, extracurricular a midtown hotel on Dec. 4, 2024.
Investigators said Thompson was on his mode to an investors' conference when helium was changeable successful the backmost connected the sidewalk.
Mangione's subsequent high-profile capture at a McDonald's successful Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the consequent tribunal appearances, person garnered a peculiar premix of enactment and condemnation for the alleged killer, who is facing some authorities and national charges.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed national prosecutors to seek the decease punishment for Mangione, and spoke publically astir the lawsuit successful April, saying the sidesplitting of Thompson "was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America."
Former Army quality expert and whistleblower Chelsea Manning was towards the beforehand of the courthouse enactment connected Friday.
"This lawsuit is being velocity tally successful an unprecedented manner…with 2 cases moving simultaneously, and 1 of them is simply a decease punishment case," Manning told reporters aft the arraignment. "We don't bash that successful our, with our justness system. We don't velocity tally justice. That's it."
When asked if she was a Mangione supporter, Manning said, "I'm a protagonist of the justness strategy being done successful a just manner."
A motortruck circulated the country with rotating integer screens showing Luigi, his perp walk, and messages specified as: "LUIGI is caught successful a high-stakes GAME of tug-of-war, but the TROPHY is simply a young man's LIFE."
A pistillate successful her precocious twenties successful a achromatic leather overgarment and sunglasses, who asked to stay anonymous, said she was determination to enactment Mangione due to the fact that she views what Thompson and United Healthcare are doing arsenic "legal murder."
"If you're going to contradict a kid with crab care, that's murder," she said. "...It's similar execution by conscionable denial, similar a 1000 denials. Whether you're committing successful the mediate of a thoroughfare with a gun, oregon down a machine screen, you're sidesplitting someone."
She besides criticized Bondi for posting on social media that the national prosecutors would question the decease punishment for Mangione.
"It's state-sanctioned murder. He's a governmental prisoner," she said. "School shooters don't get it. Dylann Roof — similar politically motivated, racially motivated shooters don't get the decease penalty."
During the arraignment, Judge Margaret Garnett asked prosecutors to convey a connection to Bondi, reminding her that nationalist commentary tin interaction a just trial.
Another woman, who wore a facemask, arrived astatine 6:15 a.m. to enactment up.
"I deliberation this whitethorn beryllium 1 of the biggest law cases of our time," she said, lamenting the "extent to which [Luigi has] been portrayed arsenic guilty," and expressing interest astir uncovering an impartial jury.
"Everyone volition person an opinion," she declared.
Mangione was shackled arsenic helium was led into the packed courtroom, wearing a tan and achromatic situation outfit, a stark contrast from his past tribunal quality erstwhile helium wore a preppy greenish cablegram knit sweater implicit a achromatic collared garment with khakis - and a bulletproof vest. Then determination was hostility betwixt the prosecution and defence implicit whether helium was receiving "special treatment" aft 2 heart-shaped notes were hidden successful the packaging of argyle socks that Mangione was fixed to deterioration to the hearing.
One read: "Know determination are thousands of radical wishing you luck." Mangione yet went sockless with his loafers to that hearing. Prosecutors wrote successful a tribunal papers that "he felt that 'they did not look good.'"
In tribunal connected Friday, Mangione sat betwixt his lawyers Marc Agnifilo and Avraham Moskowitz, who specializes successful the decease punishment and was precocious added to the team. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who is joined to Mr. Agnifilo took the pb successful court. Mangione spoke animatedly with his lawyers earlier the arraignment started. He seemed attentive throughout, watching the justice intently and peering to look astatine the prosecution arsenic each spoke. He took notes and leaned backmost pensively holding his pen astatine moments.
With 2 impending trials successful New York, the question of which volition proceed archetypal has not yet been resolved. The prosecution indicated that they planned for the New York State proceedings to proceed archetypal since frankincense is simply a superior case, portion the defence argued for starting with the national proceedings owed to concerns astir "constitutional issues" that could beryllium impacted.
"We volition acceptable the docket for this lawsuit arsenic though it is the lone case," said Judge Garnett, "until circumstances task otherwise." She said the proceedings day would beryllium acceptable astatine the adjacent league connected December 5th and should instrumentality spot successful 2026.
When the tribunal wrapped, helium appeared to beryllium successful a bully temper and turned to look the rows of nationalist and property arsenic helium conferred with his attorneys. He made oculus interaction and smiled arsenic they filed out.
Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette Thompson, and 2 children, who person remained retired of the spotlight aft releasing a statement successful December saying, "Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented antheral who genuinely lived beingness to the fullest and touched truthful galore lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving begetter to our 2 sons and volition beryllium greatly missed."
English (US) ·