Lawyers for Luigi Mangione characterized the murder suspect as a sympathetic man in court filings this week, saying the 26-year-old was concerned that the public would harass the McDonald’s employee who turned him in when he was arrested in December.
In a Wednesday letter to New York Judge Gregory Carro, lawyers for Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, said he should be permitted access to a laptop in prison to review tens of thousands of pages of evidence while he awaits trial.
“Mr. Mangione has been nothing but cooperative, peaceful and has shown concern for others,” Karen Agnifilo, one of Mangione’s lawyers, said in the filing.
The argument pushed back on New York prosecutors’ claim that Mangione’s conduct had incited a harassment campaign against those who have cooperated with the investigation and could be potential witnesses, including the Pennsylvania McDonald’s employee. New York prosecutors asked a judge to deny Mangione’s request for a laptop.
But Mangione’s lawyers assert the opposite is true and say among the first words out of his mouth after being arrested on December 9 were “an apology and concern for the very McDonald’s employee.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience of the day,” Mangione reportedly said.
He then said, “They aren’t going to put the cashier from McDonald’s information out there, are they? It wouldn’t be good for her. A lot of people will be upset I was arrested.”
Mangione’s lawyers say his statements after being arrested show he is not seeking to terrorize, wish harm or commit violence against anyone – further driving their point that Mangione should be awarded access to a laptop containing evidence for him to review.
They also criticized prosecutors in Manhattan for not turning over evidence quickly enough before court hearings.
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Mangione is being held, generally does not allow detainees access to laptops. They have communal computers for detainees to share, but Mangione’s team believes the discovery in the case is so extensive it would render one of the computers unusable to others.
Carro has yet to rule on the matter.
Prosecutors in Manhattan appear to be growing frustrated with Mangione’s defense team and the public perception of the case, claiming Mangione is receiving “special treatment” due to the heightened publicity of the case.
Mangione’s case has received international attention, and he has garnered massive public sympathy. An online legal defense fund for him has raised more than $700,000. People often send Mangione gifts and letters expressing their admiration. His face has been plastered on signs, murals and more around the country.
In their letter to the judge, prosecutors said that Mangione was allowed to wear personal clothing to court rather than the jail-issue clothing that most incarcerated defendants wear.
Additionally, they raised complaints that two heart-shaped notes expressing support for Mangione were found tucked away in the socks he was provided to wear to court.
Mangione’s lawyers responded by blaming their limited access to Mangione before or after court proceedings, saying they were unable to catch the heart-shaped notes in the socks. They accused prosecutors of trying to distract the judge from the matter at hand.
