Luigi Mangione, 27, of Easton, is charged with homicide in the death of Thompson, who was chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare. Federal prosecutors have charged Mangione with seven counts under enhanced laws that apply to violent crimes committed with firearms. His defense team is in the process of contesting all of the charges. Their latest pitch is that his single remaining charge of stalking shouldn’t be counted as a crime of violence.
Authorities arrested Mangione five days after the alleged incident at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This address is over 200 miles away from the area of the alleged crime. Our legal team contends that the arrest evidence is inadmissible at trial. This includes an unlawful firearm and ammunition that police discovered tucked in his backpack. They claim that the evidence was obtained through an unlawful search warrant. Second, they claim that Mangione was not advised of his Miranda rights prior to the start of interrogation.
Mangione’s lawyers have shooting filed motions charges to dismiss all police eight federal charges. At least one of these charges could possibly lead to a death penalty sentence. Their case making alludes to comments found in public records from Attorney General Pam Bondi. She called on federal prosecutors in New York to seek capital punishment for Mangione. This request is symptomatic of a larger threat — one where public opinion seeks to undermine the integrity of the judicial process.
In a significant victory, Judge Gregory Carro dismissed state terrorism charges against Mangione earlier this month. He concluded that prosecutors had failed to present sufficient evidence demonstrating Mangione’s intent to “intimidate and coerce a civilian population.”
Mangione sits at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center alongside the likes of crypto-currency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried. Interestingly enough, a public defense fund for Mangione has raised more than $1.3 million, showing strong grassroots support for his legal defense.
The timeline of events leading to his arrest that full circle makes this case even more riveting. According to police reports, Mangione was the person who committed the crime. He then pedaled a bike—yes, a bike—to Central Park before taking a taxi to the Port Authority bus depot.
“To intimidate and coerce the population into submitting to an unjustifiable system.” – Sam Beard, spokesperson for Mangione’s December 4th Legal Committee