FILE PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the fishy successful the sidesplitting of UnitedHealth Group main enforcement Brian Thompson, appears successful Manhattan Supreme Court connected New York authorities execution and coercion charges successful New York City, U.S., February 21, 2025.
Curtis Means | Via Reuters
Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York national justice Saturday to disregard immoderate transgression charges, including the lone number for which helium could look the decease penalty, from a national indictment brought against him successful the December assassination of UnitedHealth's main executive.
In papers filed successful Manhattan national court, the lawyers said prosecutors should besides beryllium prevented from utilizing astatine proceedings his statements to instrumentality enforcement officers and his backpack wherever a weapon and ammunition were found.
They said Mangione was not work his rights earlier helium was questioned by instrumentality enforcement officers, who arrested him aft Brian Thompson was fatally changeable arsenic helium arrived astatine a Manhattan edifice for an capitalist conference.
They added that officers did not get a warrant earlier searching Mangione's backpack.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not blameworthy to authorities and national charges successful the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson connected Dec. 4 arsenic helium arrived astatine a Manhattan edifice for his company's yearly capitalist conference.
The sidesplitting acceptable disconnected a multi-state hunt aft the suspected shooter slipped distant from the country and rode a motorcycle to Central Park, earlier taking a taxi to a autobus depot that offers work to respective adjacent states.
Five days later, a extremity from a McDonald's astir 233 miles (375 kilometers) distant successful Altoona, Pennsylvania, led constabulary to apprehension Mangione. He has been held without bail since then.
Last month, lawyers for Mangione asked that his national charges beryllium dismissed and the decease punishment beryllium taken disconnected the array arsenic a effect of nationalist comments by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi directed prosecutors successful New York to question the decease penalty, calling the sidesplitting of Thompson a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America."
Murder cases are usually tried successful authorities courts, but prosecutors person besides charged Mangione nether a national instrumentality connected murders committed with firearms arsenic portion of different "crimes of violence." It's the lone complaint for which Mangione could look the decease penalty, since it's not utilized successful New York state.
The papers filed aboriginal Saturday greeting argued that this complaint should beryllium dismissed due to the fact that prosecutors person failed to place the different offenses that would beryllium required to convict him, saying that the alleged different transgression — stalking — is not a transgression of violence.
The assassination and its aftermath person captured the American imagination, mounting disconnected a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. wellness insurers portion rattling firm executives acrophobic astir security.
After the killing, investigators recovered the words "delay," "deny" and "depose," written successful imperishable marker connected ammunition astatine the scene. The words mimic a operation utilized by security manufacture critics.