Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,
The man who prosecutors say shot and killed the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare entered a not guilty plea on murder, terrorism, and other charges brought by state prosecutors in New York.
Luigi Mangione, 26, entered his not guilty plea via a microphone in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday morning. He was formally charged last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in a state case by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said she was concerned about the defendant’s ability to receive a fair trial and made reference to New York City Mayor Eric Adams being spotted in photos walking behind Mangione when he arrived in Manhattan amid a heavy law enforcement presence.
“He’s a young man and he’s being treated like a human ping-pong ball by two warring jurisdictions here,” she told the judge on Monday.
“They’re treating him like a human spectacle.”
State trial court Judge Gregory Carro told Mangione’s attorney that he has little control over what happens outside the courtroom, but he added that he can guarantee that Mangione will get a fair trial.
The next court date was set for Feb. 21, 2025, according to courthouse reporters.
Prosecutors say that Mangione shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier in December as he was walking to a Manhattan conference with investors. Mangione was captured at a McDonald’s location in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a multi-day manhunt.
Authorities say the suspect was carrying a firearm that matched the one that was used to shoot and kill Thompson. They also found a fake ID and a notebook that expressed animus toward the health insurance industry and executives, federal prosecutors have said.
Before Mangione was captured, officials said the suspect had carried out a “brazen” and “targeted” attack on Thompson, noting that he was gunned down in broad daylight on a street in Manhattan alongside bystanders. Video footage of the incident had shown an individual wearing a hooded jacket or sweatshirt approach Thompson from behind before firing multiple shots in his direction.
When Adams was seen walking behind Mangione when he was arrested, he said he wanted to send a message.
“I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city—the city that the people of New York love,” the mayor told a local news station.
In a statement last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg explained why he added terrorism charges to the indictment.
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Bragg said.
“It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day.”
Thompson, a married father of two, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group, which oversees UnitedHealthcare, for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021. His wife told NBC News earlier this month that Thompson had received threats but did not elaborate.
The murder prompted some social media users to praise Mangione while denigrating the health insurance industry, which has drawn pushback from a number of elected U.S. officials.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told a news conference earlier this month that Mangione is a “coward, not a hero” and condemned the move as “vigilante justice.”
“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” the governor said, describing the person who tipped off police to Mangione’s capture at the Altoona McDonald’s as the “real hero in this story.”