Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused killer of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the UnitedHealthcare, pleaded not guilty in a New York court Monday as his lawyer questioned the political spectacle being created out of her client. Mangione’s lawyer Karen Agnifilo said she’s concerned about her client’s right to fair trial as he is being prejudiced by statements and there is no safeguards in place. “He’s a young man, he is being treated like a human ping pong ball,” the lawyer said.
Agnifilo then pointed out the perp walk that was much discussed and condemned when Mangione was brought to New York City from Pennsylvania. He was made to do a perp walk in NYC as mayor Eric Adams was also present there. “It was the biggest perp walk I’ve ever seen. What was the NYC mayor going there? These staged perp walks are unconstitutional,” Agnifilo said.
“The mayor should know about the due process, given his own problems. I think he was there to try to take away from those issues. He wanted to show symbolism. But my client is not a symbol,” she said adding that the perp walk was absolutely unnecessary as he had been cooperating with the investigation.
Luigi Mangione seen smiling in the court
Clad in a white-collared shirt under a burgundy sweater, Mangione was escorted into Judge Gregory Carro’s 13-th floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in lower Manhattan. In one of the photographs from inside the courtroom, Mangione was seen smiling too.
During the proceeding on Monday, he was asked how pleaded to the 11-count indictment that includes murder charges and murder as an act of terrorism. “Not guilty,” Mangione said leading into a microphone.
New York mayor Eric Adams is facing five separate criminal counts and he speaking of giving an exemplary punishment to Luigi Mangione appeared, to his critics, as an attempt to improve his image.
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