A lawyer and former federal prosecutor for the state of California is predicting that selecting a jury for the trial of Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will present a unique set of challenges.
Neama Rahmani, a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego, noted Mangione's popularity as well as the amount of sympathy the 26-year-old has received when speaking to Newsweek on Wednesday.
"I've never seen an alleged murderer receive so much sympathy. To many people, Mangione is a hero of sorts," Rahmani said.
Rahmani further stated that District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have a hard time determining juror's sympathies even with the ability to implement Voir Dire, the process through which potential jurors are asked written and oral questions in order to determine their alignments.
"District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is going to have to weed out 'stealth jurors' during voir dire. They may want to acquit to send a message to health insurance companies," he said.
Mangione, who was charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism on Tuesday, has received an outpour of encouragement from people all over the nation who shared his sentiments towards the American healthcare system. Many took to social media to criticize his terrorism charge, which they believe is completely undeserved.
According to New York law, a terrorism charge may be levied if an action is "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping."
Social media users have long predicted difficulties in determining a jury for Mangione's trial, having considered the amount of support he has received from across the nation.
"LUIGI MANGIONE: Remember these two words: JURY NULLIFICATION. It only takes one negative juror to have a HUNG JURY. 41% of ages 18 to 29 think that what he did was ACCEPTABLE. Millions of Americans have a deep hatred for Health Insurance companies. He has brilliant lawyer," wrote one X (formerly Twitter) user.
LUIGI MANGIONE: Remember these two words: JURY NULLIFICATION. It only takes one negative juror to have a HUNG JURY. 41% of ages 18 to 29 think that what he did was ACCEPTABLE. Millions of Americans have a deep hatred for Health Insurance companies. He has brilliant lawyer.
— Don scott (@ScottTiger1031) December 18, 2024
"Frankly, the prosecutors who tied terrorism to the main charges against Mangione just shot themselves in the leg. No self respecting juror will find him guilty of terrorism," wrote another user.
Frankly, the prosecutors who tied terrorism to the main charges against Mangione just shot themselves in the leg. No self respecting juror will find him guilty of terrorism.
— Nikola (@niktaylorde) December 17, 2024
"i would imagine the court system is going to have a HELL OF A TIME finding an impartial jury for luigi mangione's trial. Imagine doing the screenings and every person is like "yeah, no, i actually agree with the guy. plus he's handsome." LMFAOOOO," wrote a third.
i would imagine the court system is going to have a HELL OF A TIME finding an impartial jury for luigi mangione’s trial.
— junie b. jones (@idkabouthannah) December 14, 2024
imagine doing the screenings and every person is like “yeah, no, i actually agree with the guy. plus he’s handsome.” LMFAOOOO
Furthermore, 60% of New Yorkers polled stated that, if selected to be on the jury, they would vote to acquit Mangione in data collected by Politics Video Channel.
BREAKING: if selected for jury duty, 60% of New Yorkers are planning to Vote to acquit Luigi Mangione, the man charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in new poll pic.twitter.com/fcgS7uIc99
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) December 15, 2024
"Friedman Agnifilo would ask potential jurors where they reside in Manhattan and where they get their news sources from to determine their political leanings," New York attorney, Colleen Kerwick, predicted of defense lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
"She would also ask whether they were involved in particular protests or campaigns, to determine whether they would empathize with activism, and whether they have an invisible disability, or work in healthcare, to determine if they would be sympathetic to the cause or buy an insanity defense or extreme emotional disturbance affirmative defense."
She said the defense team "will want younger jurors who will identify with Mangione, over his alleged victim."
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