Luigi Mangione pleads ‘not guilty’ to killing United Health Care chief Brian Thompson
Accused killer Luigi Mangione appeared in a bullet proof vest and green jumper for a court hearing as crowds of young female admirers watched on and supporters outside chanted his name.
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Accused killer Luigi Mangione sparked a circus in Manhattan court — appearing in a bulletproof vest before a crowd of twisted young female admirers — as a judge denied his attempt to delay his murder case.
The 26-year-old alleged assassin of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson wore a black vest over a green cableknit sweater — his arms and legs shackled together — as his lawyer tried in vain to delay the filing of “motions” while federal prosecutors decide whether to pursue the death penalty against him.
“They’re still deciding whether to seek the death penalty of Mr. Mangione, ”lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. “That’s where our focus is.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro rejected Agnifilo’s request and set a deadline of April 9 for the defence to file its court papers, with the District Attorney’s Office getting until April 14 to respond.
The hearing unfolded in front of a courthouse gallery overwhelmingly filled with female supporters of Mangione.
Loud cheers for the accused killer from demonstrators on the sidewalk outside were audible in the courtroom.
Supporters of Mangione had urged one another to wear green as a show of solidarity creating a likeness to the “Luigi” character in Nintendo’s “Super Mario” video games.
Several people wore the colour or other symbols of support from placards to headwear and even beaded jewellery with the words “Free Luigi” and “Luigi before parasites”.
The 26-year-old university graduate is accused of stalking Mr Thompson, a married father of two, and shooting him in the back outside a shareholder conference in early December.
Investigators and the prosecution have described the alleged attack as cold-blooded and premeditated.
The hearing lasted about 10 minutes before authorities escorted Mangione out of the courtroom.
The assassination of Mr Thompson has been politically charged from the start after police revealed bullet casings revocered at the scene had handwritten words on them: “defend,” “depose” and “deny.”
The words words on the bullet casings drew comparisons to author Jay Feinman’s book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It”, published in 2010.
Mangione has a degree from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania and attended an elite private high school in Baltimore.
Despite some supporters’ characterisation of him as an anti-capitalist crusader, he allegedly stopped at a New York City Starbucks for coffee minutes before the murder and was finally arrested eating hashbrowns at a McDonald’s in Altoona.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post.
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