'Model Prisoner' Luigi Mangione Makes Request for Next Court Appearance
By Anna Commander
Luigi Mangione's lawyers asked the judge presiding over his case to allow him not to be handcuffed or wear a bulletproof vest when seated at the counsel table in court during his next appearance.
Newsweek reached out to Mangione's lawyers via email Tuesday for comment.
Why It Matters
Mangione was taken into police custody at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December and charged with weapons and forgery charges related to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Hours later, authorities in New York charged him with second-degree murder related to Thompson's shooting.
Mangione was also indicted in April on federal charges, making his case eligible for the death penalty.
What To Know
In a court document sent to Newsweek on Tuesday, Mangione's counsel praised his behavior in prison and inside courtrooms, calling him a "model prisoner, a model defendant in court, and has treated everyone in the court and prison system with cooperation and respect."
Lawyers Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo, and Jacob Kaplan wrote to Judge Gregory Carro saying in part, "Our narrowly tailored request, which is in the Court's discretion, is that Your Honor permit Mr. Mangione, when seated at counsel table, to be treated like other defendants and have his arms unshackled and no bulletproof vest, which is how he appeared in federal court in December 2024 and April 2025 without the need for counsel to request these conditions."
Mangione's lawyers say the way he has appeared in court is "deeply prejudicial" and "damaging" to Mangione's right to a fair trial.
The lawyers continued, noting that shackling Mangione's hands impair his ability "to meaningfully participate in his defense." They say Mangione will not be able to take notes, access his legal papers, or provide notes to his counsel during the hearing.
Mangione's lawyers also pointed out that there is "no reasonable security justification" to restrain Mangione differently inside a federal courtroom versus a state courtroom.
"There is also no security justification for requiring Mr. Mangione to wear a bulletproof vest in a courthouse where all visitors are screened through a metal detector on arrival," Mangione's lawyers say.
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"Tellingly, Mr. Mangione was not required to wear a bulletproof vest at his December 23, 2024, arraignment before this Court, and there is no reason for him to be wearing one now. To counsel's knowledge, there have been no threats to Mr. Mangione's safety, and the only one wishing to execute him is the federal government," Mangione's lawyers add. "Wearing a bulletproof vest therefore serves no other purpose than to prejudice Mr. Mangione in the media and before future potential jurors."
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione, accused killer of US insurance CEO Brian Thompson, can be seen sitting in Manhattan Supreme Court as he attends a hearing in New York City on February 21, 2025. (Photo by Steven HIRSCH...
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