Luigi Mangione doesn’t need shackles or bulletproof vest in NY state court, lawyers say

Luigi Mangione doesn’t need handcuffs and a bulletproof vest, his lawyers argued in a new court filing.

Attorneys for the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson said the security measures at Mangione's state court appearances make him seem dangerous, which they said could sway the perceptions of potential jurors.

“By allowing Mr. Mangione to appear with his hands unshackled, without a bulletproof vest, and wearing normal clothes, this court will reinforce Mr. Mangione's presumption of innocence,” defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo wrote in a letter to Justice Gregory Carro on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have accused Mangione, 27, of traveling to New York City when he knew Thompson would be in town for a conference, waiting outside the health insurance executive’s Midtown hotel, shooting him from behind and then fleeing to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested days later at a McDonald’s.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. In a separate case in federal court, he faces the possibility of the death penalty.

A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment on the letter, noting it was addressed to the judge, not prosecutors.

In their letter to the judge, Mangione’s attorneys said the “unprecedented public interest” in his criminal cases means every court appearance is widely documented in videos, photographs and court sketches. They said images of their client in shackles and a bulletproof vest have appeared in various news articles and in social media posts that garner millions of views. One image of Mangione’s shackled ankles at a February court appearance has been viewed more than 36 million times, his lawyers said.

Mangione’s lawyers said those images impede their client’s rights to a fair trial and to defend himself. Shackling his wrists at his next court appearance would also make it difficult for him to look through court papers, take notes or write messages to his attorneys, they said.

The letter said authorities haven’t required Mangione to wear a bulletproof vest or wrist shackles at his federal court appearances. His attorneys argued there’s no reason for him to face different security protocols in a different building, given that visitors in the state court building are screened through a metal detector. They said they’re not aware of any threats to his safety, “and the only one wishing to execute him is the federal government.”

Mangione’s lawyers also said he’s not a flight risk and has cooperated with law enforcement since his arrest in December. They said he hasn’t received any citations for misconduct while in jail at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and that he’s been assigned to a work detail in the general population.

The attorneys also revealed that they’ve been visiting Mangione nearly every day at the detention facility, where they said he’s allowed to sit in a room with no barriers or shackles, alongside other incarcerated people and their family members.

“Mr. Mangione is treated just like any other pre-trial detainee, not like someone who is a heightened security or flight risk,” Agnifilo wrote.

Carro will have to decide whether to honor Mangione’s request or keep the same protocols in place for his next state court appearance in Manhattan on June 26. At an appearance in late February, Carro initially agreed with defense attorneys’ request to unshackle Mangione, but then changed his mind, citing "security reasons," after speaking with a court officer, according to Agnifilo’s letter.