Luigi Mangione illegally searched during arrest in health insurance CEO killing, lawyer says
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Luigi Mangione arrives for a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court on New York state murder and terrorism charges in New York City, on Feb 21.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK - A lawyer for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down US health insurance executive Brian Thompson in December 2024, told a judge on Feb 21 that her client was illegally searched during his arrest and she would seek to exclude that evidence from his trial on state murder and terrorism charges.
Lawyer Karen Agnifilo said during a hearing in Manhattan state court that there were “serious search and seizure issues” with Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania, though she did not elaborate.
“There might be evidence that is suppressed in this case,” Ms Agnifilo said.
Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found Mangione with a 9mm pistol and silencer, clothing that matched the apparel worn by Mr Thompson’s shooter in surveillance footage, and a notebook describing an intent to “wack” an insurance company chief executive, according to a court filing.
Mr Thompson, the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on Dec 4, 2024, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, where the company was gathering for an investor conference.
Mangione, 26, appeared in court wearing a green cable knit sweater over a white shirt. He was brought into the courtroom in leg and arm shackles and wearing a bulletproof vest.
Mangione pleaded not guilty on Dec 23, 2024
If convicted, Mangione could face life in prison without parole. He is now jailed in a federal lockup in Brooklyn.
The Feb 21 hearing was brief and largely concerned prosecutors’ progress in handing over evidence to Mangione’s legal team.
The brazen killing of Mr Thompson and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans.
While public officials condemned the killing, some Americans who decry steep healthcare costs and insurers’ power to refuse to pay for some treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.
Dozens of Mangione supporters gathered outside the courthouse on Feb 21 and behind police barricades in the hall outside the courtroom.
Mangione also faces a four-count federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and killing Mr Thompson.
Ms Agnifilo said prosecutors overseeing that case are weighing whether to seek the death penalty, which she said was complicated by the slow pace of discovery in the state case.
Mangione has not yet entered a plea in the federal case.
Mr Avraham Moskowitz, a lawyer with experience in death penalty cases, joined Mangione’s defence team in February. REUTERS
