Apparently, not even the possibility of the death penalty can bring Luigi Mangione down.
Mangione, 27, the man accused of killing a health-insurance executive in broad daylight last year, appeared all smiles in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday as he scanned the courtroom packed with his adoring fans.
Meanwhile, his attorneys argued for his diary entries and other evidence to be thrown out ahead of his state murder trial.
The Baltimore-area native gained notoriety almost overnight after he was named the primary suspect in the assassination-style shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a man who never saw it coming on a Manhattan sidewalk in December 2024. After a day-long manhunt, Mangione was apprehended inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania—some 280 miles west of New York City.
The University of Pennsylvania alum now faces nine charges, including stalking, a firearms offense, and murder, as well as a separate federal death-penalty prosecution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mangione’s has accumulated a stunningly devoted fanbase, who have compared him to the likes of a modern-day day Robinhood. His legal team has gone so far as to set up a website with updates on his ongoing court proceedings to address public inquiries.
On Monday, as Mangione entered the courtroom in shackles, sporting a gray jacket and red-and-white checkered shirt, there was no shortage of his fanbase. Rows of giggling admirers were decked out in green—the unofficial color of Mangione’s most devoted supporters—and seated in the back of the room.
The suspected killer frequently cast his eyes toward them, much more so in previous appearances, though he didn’t appear to recognize anyone personally.
The proceedings are expected to span several days and could prove pivotal to the outcome of the state case. Prosecutors allege that Mangione’s diary outlines his plans for the assassination and details his loathing of America’s for-profit healthcare system. Other evidence at stake includes a handgun and a loaded magazine recovered from his backpack.
The defense argues that the authorities’ warrantless search of Mangione’s bag at the Altoona McDonald’s should be tossed because there was no immediate threat.
“Police conducted this warrantless search even though there were no exigent circumstances as Mr. Mangione was already in handcuffs, the backpack was on a table over six feet away and Mr. Mangione was separated from this table by a wall of armed officers,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, wrote in a court filing.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Mangione’s defense team for comment.
This was Mangione’s first appearance in court since Judge Gregory Carro—a former prosecutor first appointed to the bench by Rudy Giuliani—threw out a terrorism charge in September, finding insufficient evidence that the allegations met the state definition of terrorism.
Mangione’s attorneys have also argued that their client’s federal charges should be dismissed altogether, alleging the Trump Administration has made him “a pawn to further its political agenda.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in April, calling it the next step in carrying out “President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
Just last month, the judge presiding over the federal case warned Bondi that the Justice Department would face sanctions if it violated Mangione’s right to a fair trial—and suggested DOJ employees may have already done so.
The post Smiling Luigi Mangione Scopes Out Fans in Wild Courtroom Scene appeared first on The Daily Beast.
