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. Supreme Court is the top trial court in New York.
Manhattan prosecutors last week unsealed an 11-count indictment charging Mangione 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 by using a fake ID in the days before the murder.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to all charges during the short hearing, at which he conferred with defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo and prison consultant Craig Rothfeld, who works with defendants on confinement issues.
Mangione appeared to be fully engaged with his attorneys as they signed papers pertaining to his current federal incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Carro ordered Mangione to remain in custody, in lieu of $1 symbolic bail. Mangione is being held in federal custody without bail and has no realistic chance of freedom until trial.
Friedman Agnifilo said she is worried about the high publicity that she accused law enforcement of stoking by presenting Mangione in public during trips to courtrooms and police stations.
“I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial,” she said.
Friedman Agnifilo blamed the "perp walks" on Mayor Eric Adams, calling the public parades "absolutely unnecessary" and "perfectly choreographed, utterly political."
“The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence,” she said of Adams, a former New York police captain who is accused of federal corruption charges.
When Mangione waived 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.
Heavily armed police met Mangione when he stepped off the helicopter, and his walk to a nearby van was in clear view of TV news cameras, making for an unusually high-profile transfer.
The judge said he has little power to control what happens outside his courtroom.
A representative of Adams didn't directly answer Friedman Agnifilo's allegations of showboating Mangione's arrest — but he said no one should be glorifying the suspect.
"The cold-blooded assassination of Brian Thompson — a father of two — and the terror it infused on the streets of New York City for days has since been sickeningly glorified, shining a spotlight on the darkest corners of the internet," spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement.
"Mayor Adams’ priority is — and always has been — public safety, and he has repeatedly spoken about how social media is fueling the radicalization of our youth," she said. "Critics can say all they want, but showing up to support our law enforcement and sending the message to New Yorkers that violence and vitriol have no place in our city is who Mayor Eric Adams is to his core."
Mangione's next New York City court date was set for Feb. 21.
Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day search in the wake of Thompson's slaying.
