Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has made a request for one specific item as he waits for his trial to begin.
Mangione, 26, is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he awaits trial for 11 state criminal counts in New York, including murder as an act of terrorism, as well as state-level gun possession and other charges in Pennsylvania, and federal stalking and murder offences.
He is next set to appear in court in April, but in the meantime Mangione has made a request to the court via his lawyers.
In the filing, which was made public on March 24, Mangione's lawyers requested that he be given a laptop to use while he remains in jail.
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The lawyers insisted he had good reason for wanting access to a computer - he's not planning on scrolling social media or playing games, but instead wants to be able to view material related to his murder case.
Mangione's defense team said the laptop could be configured to ensure it has no access to the internet, movies or other entertainment, but instead solely gives Mangione access to more than 15,000 pages of documents, thousands of hours of video and other materials relevant to his upcoming trial.
Similar agreements have been reached for defendants in federal lockup previously, however prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office are said to be 'frowning on the laptop request', according to Mangione's lawyers, who spoke to The Associated Press.
The disapproval of the request allegedly comes because 'witnesses have been threatened', the lawyers claimed.
However, defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said: "[There is] no connection to Mr. Mangione for any of said alleged threats.”
If the request is not approved, Mangione will still be able to view the material relevant to his case, however he will only have chance to do so while meeting with his lawyers.
Mangione's defense team has argued there aren't enough visiting hours for Mangione to sufficiently go through all of the material in way that would 'properly help prepare his defense'.
A graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson, a father-of-two, outside a hotel in Manhattan in December 2024.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the New York state charges, however, he has not yet entered a plea to the federal charges or to the charges in Pennsylvania.
If found guilty in the federal case, Mangione could face the death penalty.
Topics: Luigi Mangione, Crime, US News, New York
Emily Brown