Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in a New York state court on Friday wearing a bulletproof vest. During the hearing, the judge ordered his lawyers to submit motions by April 9. The defense attempted to delay the submission of motions while a decision is made on whether to pursue the death penalty in the federal case, but the request was denied, and a deadline was set for filing the court documents.
Mangione's attorney, Karen Agnifilo, expressed her dissatisfaction to the press after the hearing, stating that the federal government's consideration of seeking the death penalty hinders their ability to prepare their client's defense. Mangione, charged with first-degree murder, is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. In the hearing, he was wearing a green sweater over a white shirt, khaki pants, and a bulletproof vest.
During the appearance, prosecutors reviewed evidence provided to the defense, which includes images of the events captured by police body cameras, police reports, data from a cellphone found near the crime scene, and autopsy files. In the state case, Mangione faces eleven charges, including one of first-degree murder and two of second-degree murder, one of which is considered a terrorism-related crime, which could lead to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
