CEO Killing Suspect Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to State Murder Charges

The 26-year-old is accused of fatally gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to murder charges that could land him in prison for the rest of his life in New York state court on Monday morning.

Where his lawyers say any potential jury would be prejudiced by the cinematic perp walk to which he arrived in New York City.

Mangione, clad in a maroon sweater, white shirt, khaki pants, and orange shoes with his hands and feet in shackles, announced his intent to enter a not guilty plea to Judge Gregory Carro of Manhattan Supreme Court at his arraignment on state murder charges, which accuse him of committing an act of terrorism.

Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said she is concerned about her client’s ability to get a fair trial, after a throng of heavily-armed NYPD and FBI agents escorted the accused killer from a helicopter in a highly choreographed sequence en route to his first arraignment last week.

“I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial in this case. He is being prejudiced by some statements being made by government officials,” Friedman Agnifilo told Judge Carro on Monday.

“There’s a wealth of case law guaranteeing his right to a fair trial. But none of the safeguards have been put in place yet here. In fact, that’s just the opposite of what’s been happening.”

The attorney took particular aim at Mayor Eric Adams, who attended the perp walk even as he himself faces a federal indictment on bribery and fraud charges.

“They are literally treating him like some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle. He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career.

It was absolutely unnecessary,” said Friedman Agnifilo. “And what was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference?”

“That just made it utterly political,” she continued. “And frankly, your honor, the mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded dealing with his own issues.”

Friedman-Agnifilo contended that the federal and state prosecutors are “warring” with one another, filing indictments she claims are in conflict with one another and leaving Mangione in the middle like a “ping pong ball.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused Mangione of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a “brazen, targeted” shooting outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.

He faces first and second-degree murder charges, as well as weapons and forgery charges.

The accused killer also faces federal murder charges that could land him the death penalty.

He further faces weapons and forgery charges in Pennsylvania, where he was caught after a five-day manhunt.

He’s pled not guilty to the Pennsylvania charges, but hasn’t entered a plea to the federal raps.

Mangione is being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same federal lockup housing Sean “Diddy” Combs. The two even share a lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, the husband of Karen.

Besides attorneys and reporters, Mangione was also joined in the courtroom by about two dozen members of the public, mostly young women. He is due back in court on Feb. 21.