Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to New York state charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as his defense complained about police parading him in “perp walks” that are “perfectly choreographed, utterly political.”
Mangione wore a white shirt under a maroon sweater and light colored pants in his arraignment before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro.
Manhattan prosecutors last week unsealed an 11-count indictment against Mangione, charging him with a host of crimes connected to the Dec. 4 slaying.
The allegations include first-degree murder, an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and forgery for using a fake ID in the days before the murder.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to all charges during the short hearing, in which he conferred with defense lawyer Karen Agnifilo and prison consultant Craig Rothfeld, who works with defendants on confinement issues.
Mangione appeared to be fully engaged with his defense team on Monday as they signed various papers pertaining to the defendant’s current federal incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Agnifilo said her client might not receive a fair trial because of the high publicity that law enforcement is stoking by presenting Mangione in public during trips to courtrooms and police stations.
Agnifilo placed the blame for these “perp walks” on Mayor Eric Adams, calling these public parades of Mangione “absolutely unnecessary” and “perfectly choreographed, utterly political.”
“The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence,” she said of the mayor, who is a former NYPD captain.
When Mangione waved extradition from Pennsylvania last week, he was quickly moved to New York City, arriving by plane and then helicopter on his way to face federal charges.
When he stepped off the helicopter, Mangione was met by heavily armed police and his walk to a nearby van was in clear view of TV news cameras, making for an unusually high profile transfer.
A representative of Mayor Adams could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
