Accused killer of US insurance CEO pleads not guilty to ‘terrorist’ murder
The smiling suspect in the brazen killing of a healthcare CEO in New York has entered his plea in court.
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The man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in a brazen hit in New York pleaded not guilty on Monday to state charges including “terrorist” murder.
Luigi Mangione wore a white shirt, burgundy sweatshirt and was shackled during his appearance in a Manhattan court where he was flanked by police officers.
“How do you plead to this indictment, sir? Guilty or not guilty,” asked a court clerk.
“Not guilty,” Mangione replied.
During the hearing, Mangione, 26, flashed a grin and looked around the court with furrowed brows and a smouldering expression, the New York Post reports.
Monday’s hearing came after Mangione, 26, appeared in a New York court last week to face federal charges also including murder following his dramatic extradition by plane and helicopter from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant.
The suspect is charged in both state and federal court in the December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.
Thompson’s murder brought to the surface deep public frustration with the lucrative US commercial health care system, with many social media users painting Mangione as a hero.
On Saturday night in New York, a comic news segment presented by Colin Jost on Saturday Night Live was greeted with cheers for Mangione by the live studio audience.
‘Saturday Night Live’ Audience Cheers and Applauds Wildly When Host Mentions UnitedHealthcare CEO Murderer Luigi Mangioni.https://t.co/D7SO9NGsuBpic.twitter.com/PAwlsKNTgu
— BoilingPoint Live (@RealBPL) December 22, 2024
If convicted in the state case, Mangione could face life imprisonment with no parole. In the federal case, he could technically face the death penalty.
Mangioni’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo has sought clarity on how simultaneous federal and state charges would work, calling the situation “highly unusual.”
As Mangione exited the courtroom, one woman supporter shyly flashed him a thumbs up. Outside, more than 30 supporters of Mangione chanted and held signs in support of the accused killer.
It comes as Mangione revealed a clean-cut new look as he was extradited to New York on murder charges.
After initially fighting the extradition, Mangione appeared in court in the Pennsylvania town of Hollidaysburg and agreed to be sent to New York, where the killing took place.
Protesters with signs bearing “free Luigi” and “privatised healthcare is a crime” supported the alleged assassin.
Federal prosecutors levelled four new charges against the Mangione including stalking, a firearm offence, and a count of murder that could bring the death penalty. The federal case will proceed in parallel with the New York case, in which he’s facing 11-counts at the state level — including a rare first-degree murder charge.
Among the other charges facing the Ivy League graduate in New York is one count of murder in the second degree as “an act of terrorism.”
Highlighting the intense media attention the case has garnered, multiple television networks covered his trip from Pennsylvania to New York live.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and appearing calm, Mangione left the courthouse in a black SUV, escorted by several police vehicles.
After being flown by plane to an airport outside New York City, he boarded a helicopter to Manhattan, where television footage showed over a dozen officers, some in tactical gear, waiting to retrieve him.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, five days after UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was shot dead on a Manhattan street.
Thompson’s murder brought into focus widespread public anger against the US health care system and many social media users have since lionised Mangione.
Mangione made two brief court appearances in Pennsylvania, waived a preliminary hearing on firearms and forgery charges, and then agreed to be sent back to New York.
Police say a “life-changing, life-altering” back injury may have motivated Mangione, although they added that there was “no indication” that he was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare.
Mangione was arrested following a tip from staff at the McDonald’s, where he was found wearing a mask and a beanie while using a laptop, and gave officers a fake ID, charging documents show.
When he was arrested, Mangione had a three-page handwritten text criticising the US health care system. As officers led him away, he shouted about an “insult to the American people.”
Police have said that Mangione’s fingerprints matched those found near the crime scene, and that shell casings match the gun found on him when he was arrested.
Reports that the casings of the bullets allegedly fired by Mangione had the words “depose, deny, delay” inscribed on them prompted horror stories on social media about health insurers who use those very tactics to get out of paying for medical tests or cancer treatment.
Such fights with sick and ailing consumers are only one of the gripes many have with a health system that has also been criticised for mystery billing practices, opaque middlemen, confusing jargon and costly drugs.
– With AFP
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