Luigi Mangione has revealed his 'one request' as he faces terror charges for allegedly shooting dead a health insurance CEO.
The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson, 50, has been behind bars since he was arrested in a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December. Prosecutors have claimed he gunned down the top executive outside a Manhattan hotel and then spent five days on the run.
The shooting occurred right before an investor conference hosted by UnitedHealthcare, where Thompson, a father of two high school children, had served as a long-time executive. New York’s DA’s office is prosecuting the case under a rare ‘murder as an act of terrorism’ charge, which Mangione has so far pleaded not guilty to.
He also faces a federal case that could lead to the death penalty, along with other charges at the state level in Pennsylvania.
However, the legal team representing the Ivy League school computer science graduate from a Maryland real estate family has requested one thing while he awaits his day in court: a laptop. His request was detailed in a late Monday court filing, where his legal team stated that the device would only be used to review extensive case materials relating to the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson.
While similar arrangements have been granted to other inmates at the federal facility where Mangione is held, the DA's office has yet to comment on the request. There's tension over the matter as prosecutors believe some witnesses have faced threats, although Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argues there's "no connection to Mr. Mangione for any of said alleged threats."
The murder of Thompson sent shockwaves through the corporate world, prompting some health insurance companies to quickly transition to remote work or online shareholder meetings.
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However, the case also tapped into the frustrations of some Americans with health insurance companies. Authorities have said that Mangione's writings and the words on bullets found at the scene showed his animosity towards health insurers and corporate America.
Some people have glorified the accused murderer, donated money for his defense, and even attended his court appearances. Others, including elected officials, have condemned the praise for what they see as ideological violence and vigilante justice.
Through his attorneys, Mangione has issued a statement expressing gratitude to his supporters. If he is granted a laptop, it would not be able to connect to the internet, run video games, or play movies or other forms of entertainment, according to his lawyers' filing.
However, it would allow him to review more than 15,000 pages of documents and thousands of hours of video footage from his jail cell, which prosecutors have collected and are required to provide to his attorneys. He can review the material when meeting with his lawyers. But they argue that there aren't enough visiting hours in the day for him to do that and adequately assist in preparing his defense.