A man charged with murder and other state and federal counts in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty in New York.
Luigi Mangione, 26, appeared Monday to be arraigned on 11 state criminal counts, including murder, a crime of terrorism. In addition to the state charges, he is accused of federal stalking and murder offences that can carry a potential death sentence.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr Mangione shot Mr Thompson in central Manhattan before fleeing. Authorities later found him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. On Monday, Mr Mangione appeared in court wearing a maroon sweater, white-collared shirt and khaki trousers.
In addition to a long stream of journalists waiting for the suspect to appear, members of the public – almost all of them young women – were in court, some of whom told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that they were there to show their support. Mr Mangione is facing 11 state criminal counts in New York, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism.
If convicted of all counts, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Federal prosecutors have also separately charged Mr Mangione for using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death. Both charges could make him eligible for the death penalty.
