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Luigi Mangione lawyer says Mayor Adams publicly discussed undisclosed evidence
By
Ben Feuerherd
and
Samantha Max
Published Feb 21, 2025
Modified Feb 21, 2025
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By
Ben Feuerherd
and
Samantha Max
Published Feb 21, 2025
Modified Feb 21, 2025
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An attorney for Luigi Mangione said Friday she may seek to get evidence gathered during his Pennsylvania arrest thrown out — and said Mayor Eric Adams and a top NYPD official improperly discussed evidence in the case.
"There is a serious search and seizure issue here,” said Karen Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mangione during a state court appearance Friday. “We want to have the opportunity to litigate that.”
She went on to say Mangione’s "right to a fair trial is continuously being impacted."
Prosecutors say Mangione, 26, traveled to New York City last fall with a plan to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he was in town for an investor conference. They say he waited outside Thompson’s hotel, shot him in the back and the leg, then fled to Pennsylvania where he was arrested days later.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and weapons possession charges, including rarely used terrorism-related murder charges. He has also pleaded not guilty to murder, firearms and stalking charges in federal court. If convicted of the most serious crime, he could face the death penalty.
Dozens of Mangione supporters packed the seats of the Manhattan courtroom, where Justice Gregory Carro checked in on the status of the evidence sharing process and set a schedule for the two sides to submit motions. Mangione was escorted into court with his ankles shackled and hands in cuffs, surrounded by officers in tactical gear.
In her remarks to the judge, Agnifilio said she was shocked that the NYPD chief of detectives and Mayor Adams were able to sit down with HBO and discuss evidence and their theories of the case for a documentary. The prosecutors have yet to turn over key evidence – including a journal they allege is his “manifesto” – that Adams at the NYPD official discussed on HBO, Agnifilio said.
“We have never been provided copies,” she said.
The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutor Zachary Kaplan described the voluminous evidence they have turned over to Mangione’s defense team in two batches, including one just prior to the hearing Friday. It includes photos, NYPD crime scene reports, DNA testing results, ballistic evidence and grand jury testimony by law enforcement.
After hearing from both sides, Carro set a schedule for pre-trial motions in the case, ordering the defense to have their motions in by April 9 and the prosecution’s response by May 14.
A trial date has not yet been set in the case.
Thompson’s killing on December 4 captured international attention. In the early days of the investigation, surveillance footage circulated of the moment a man in a hoodie approached Thompson from behind, aimed a gun and fired. Police also found shell casings at the scene inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” which members of the public quickly connected to the title of the book “Delay, Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It” by Jay M. Feinman.
Law enforcement spent days searching for the perpetrator, reviewing security cameras across the city to track his movements. They arrested Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where someone spotted him at a local McDonald’s and thought he resembled an image shared by police. After law enforcement arrested him, they say they found a loaded gun with a silencer, a notebook with entries criticizing the health insurance industry and a letter addressed “To The Feds,” in which Mangione said he had acted alone, according to a criminal complaint.
Mangione has become a folk hero for Americans who say they're angry about corporate greed and want to see reforms in the health care industry. He has received so many letters from supporters that his defense attorneys set up a website to provide updates on his case. A legal defense fund has also raised more than $500,000.
Mangione had dozens of supporters inside and outside the courtroom Friday. Among those in attendance was Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence officer who served time in federal prison for sharing classified material with WikiLeaks.
Public officials have condemned Thompson’s killing. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called it a “cold and calculated crime” that shouldn’t be celebrated. Adams attended Mangione’s highly staged perp walk in December along with hordes of law enforcement officials, saying he wanted to look Mangione in the eye.
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Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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