Following Luigi Mangione being arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, his attorney has now spoken out.
At 9.15am on Monday (December 9), the 26-year-old was taken into custody in connection to the 50-year-old's death five days earlier (December 4).
The father-of-two was walking to an insurance conference in New York City when he was gunned down in the streets outside of the Hilton Hotel, in Manhattan, with the suspect believed to have been 'lying in wait' for up to five minutes beforehand.
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Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in a critical condition but was later pronounced dead upon arrival.
The suspect is believed to have cycled away on an electric bike into Central Park, where a bag was discarded with Monopoly money inside it as well as a jacket.
Cops finally caught up with the suspect as Mangione was sitting at a table in the rear of a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, documents state.
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In his possession Mangione, whose last known residency is Honolulu, Hawaii, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police claim.
On Tuesday (December 10), the computer science graduate - who is understood to have come from a wealthy family in a Maryland community, and was raised in Towson, outside of Baltimore - entered a plea of not guilty.
On the same day, his defense attorney Tom Dickey, of Pennsylvania, spoke to the press on behalf of his client. Take a look:
"If the government charges a person with a crime they have to prove that, and they have to have some evidence," he explained before appearing to make jest of the amount of evidence the FBI has on his client.
Looking around on the table in front of him he then begins to pretend to show 'all the evidence' authorities have that Mangione murdered Thompson, by opening up his palms to show that there is nothing.
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"Here's all the evidence I have right here, zoom in, zoom in - I suppose you want to? Nothing. I've seen nothing, I have nothing."
He was then asked by a reporter 'what charges is he pleading not guilty to', to which he sharply responds: "Every charge... every charge."
It seems that his personality was enough to gain him plaudits online. Taking to the comment section on YouTube, one person wrote: "I like this attorney. He is a common sense, no nonsense attorney with a good sense of humor. Reminds of a mob boss attorney.
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"I hope he can help this young man. He is correct that the NYPD has got to prove that he is the same guy that shot the CEO."
While another added: "This attorney comes across as respectful, direct and to the point, confident in his legal knowledge and experience and relatable to a jury."
Topics: Crime, Luigi Mangione, New York, US News
Joe Yates