Photo:
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty
During Luigi Mangione‘s court appearance on murder charges in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, his lawyer complained about the media portrayals of her high-profile client.
Mangione, dressed in a green sweater, white collared shirt, khaki pants and a bulletproof vest, appeared in Manhattan’s State Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21, on the charges, which also accuse him of committing an act of terrorism. Prosecutors allege he gunned down Thompson outside an investor conference on the morning of Dec. 4 in Midtown Manhattan.
During the brief status conference, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo expressed “shock” that NYPD officials and Mayor Eric Adams “sat down with HBO and put hair and makeup” for a documentary on the case, declaring that his right to a fair trial was “continuously being impacted.”
STEVEN HIRSCH/POOL/AFP via Getty
Friedman Agnifilo also argued that actors “playing him on TV … didn’t sound anything like him.”
“I was sitting there learning about the case, hearing an actor read out Luigi’s stuff” Friedman Agnifilo added at a press conference outside the courthouse following the hearing.
Friedman Agnifilo also objected to the prosecution’s move to set trial preparations in motion, saying her “focus” at the moment is on the separate federal murder case where Mangione could face the death penalty if convicted.
Brian Thompson. UnitedHealth Group
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The hearing took place amid a circus-like atmosphere inside and outside the courtroom, as more than 100 of Mangione’s supporters showed up.
Mangione has garnered legions of supporters, many frustrated with the American healthcare system. His legal defense fundraiser has raised more than $500,000; he is being represented by Agnifilo Intrater, a high-powered firm that is also representing Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In the courtroom, Judge Gregory Carro ordered that Mangione remain cuffed during the hearing, citing security reasons.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state charges in New York but has not entered a plea on the federal charges. He is incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
