Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.
The 26-year-old shuffled into New York Supreme Court in chains on Monday morning sporting a collared shirt, maroon sweater and orange shoes.
Mangione was shackled and seated when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea.
The Manhattan district attorney formally charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.
His initial appearance in New York state’s trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting.
The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4.
Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges
The Manhattan district attorney formally charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism
Despite the gruesome allegations, legions of fans have flocked to Mangione’s defense.
Demonstrators were seen outside the arraignment on Monday clutching signs offering support for the murder-accused.
Many of them view Mangione as a vigilante-style hero, who allegedly took drastic action to send a message to the healthcare industry.
Thompson’s slaying ignited scrutiny of the sector after bullet casings inscribed with the words, ‘deny’, ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ were found at the scene.
The messages bear similarity to a book by Jay M Feinman entitled, ‘Delay, Defend, Deny: Why insurance company don’t pay claims, and what you can do about it’, which discusses the insurance industry’s allegedly unethical practice of delaying and denying legitimate claims.
Meanwhile, other ghoulish fans have been fixating on the suspect’s good looks.
He has been flooded with support, including by donors keen to fundraise for his legal defense.
Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald´s after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said.
He stands accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4
Mangione donned a collared shirt, maroon sweater, orange shoes and grey pants for the arraignment
Despite the gruesome allegations, legions of fans have flocked to Mangione’s defense expressing support for the apparently political motivations for the killing
He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.
At a news conference announcing the state charges last Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a ‘frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.’
‘In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror,’ he added. ‘And we´ve seen that reaction.’
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach ‘very confusing’ and ‘highly unusual.’
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