Luigi Mangione was kept under tight supervision in a Pennsylvania state prison last year because officials “did not want an Epstein-style situation”, a corrections officer said during Manhattan state court testimony on Monday.
This striking allusion to Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier who died in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking, came during day one of a potentially week-long proceeding to weigh the legality of evidence gathered during Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s restaurant after the killing of a prominent healthcare executive.
Mangione was apprehended last December over the murder of senior United HealthCare figure Brian Thompson. In addition to state-level charges, he faces a Manhattan federal court case.
Thompson’s killing on the streets of New York triggered an intense manhunt for the killer, but also sparked an outpouring of anger at the practices of the US for-profit healthcare industry. Since his arrest, Mangione has attracted some enthusiastic supporters, both online and at his court appearances.
Mangione entered the courtroom wearing a slate suit with a white-and-red tattersall plaid shirt. When Mangione entered the room, he was cuffed, but the restraints were taken off shortly after he sat down.
The Epstein commentary unfolded while an officer at the state correctional institution at Huntingdon described Mangione’s presence in lockup last December. Tomas Rivers, a British army veteran turned prison guard, said he was assigned to monitor Mangione.
The superintendent of SCI Huntingdon had said Mangione was there, and not at a local jail, as a pre-trial arrestee would normally be held, “to ensure his security”, Rivers said.
“I was told that the secretary of the Department of Corrections requested the move from Blair county jail to SCI Huntingdon because Huntingdon has increased security capabilities,” he said. In the state prison, Mangione would be exposed to fewer inmates and fewer extortion threats – and there was less of a chance that staff might leak information to the media.
“Luigi Mangione was under constant watch,” Rivers said. Asked what was the purpose of constant watch, Rivers said it was used for someone who is a threat to themselves. “There’s a paper trail of their behaviors and movements.”
The corrections officer said he was told that Mangione had constant watch to prevent him from dying in custody like Epstein did.
He and Mangione conversed at various times, including about their travels, including trips to Thailand and Vietnam. They also talked about books at some point.
“We discussed Orwell, Huxley and Thoreau,” he said. Mangione told Rivers he liked those authors and recommended The Doors of Perception, Huxley’s work on psychedelics experimentation.
Evidence presented during the proceeding also provided insight into how Mangione attracted attention at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s where he was arrested. The revelation came during testimony from Emily States, a 911 coordinator in Blair county, Pennsylvania.
Mangione’s legal team has repeatedly pushed for the exclusion of evidence gathered during his arrest at the Altoona McDonald’s on 9 December 2024. His lawyers have claimed that police, who came to the restaurant based on an anonymous tip, did not immediately apprise Mangione of his constitutional rights.
States was asked about how emergency calls are recorded. The prosecution then played a call from the McDonald’s manager to 911.
On the recording the manager told dispatch that there was a diner “some other customers were suspicious” of because, they said, he looked like the “CEO shooter”.
“They’re just really upset,” the manager told 911. “I can’t approach him, ya know.”
This manager said that he was sitting by the bathroom and was wearing a black jacket, tan beanie and blue medical mask.
“I was like, I can’t really do anything,” the manager recounted of what she told patrons who flagged Mangione. The manager was pressed for a description but noted that he was wearing a medical mask.
The manager said the only thing she could see was “his eyebrows” and provided otherwise general details on his appearance, saying he looked mid-weight but that it was hard to tell on account of his hoodie.
The accused killer has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Mangione’s appearance comes just over two months after he landed a major legal victory in his state case.
On 16 September judge Gregory Carro threw out the two top state charges against him – first-degree murder and second-degree murder, both of which prosecutors had contended were terrorism crimes. Carro said “the evidence put forth was legally insufficient” for those terrorism-related charges.
Mangione still faces nine counts in his state case, including second-degree murder. The sentence for second-degree murder in New York spans from 25 years to life in prison.
Mangione’s lawyers have argued that because he was not apprised of his rights, his statements to police should not be permitted in court. They also argue that evidence taken during his arrest should be barred, saying they conducted a “warrantless search” of Mangione’s backpack.
More than two dozen witnesses could testify at the proceedings that start this week, to answer questions about how his arrest unfolded and evidence collected. The potential witnesses include police involved in Mangione’s case.
While there were fewer admirers in attendance than at past proceedings, and a seeming lack of date night-style attire that had become de rigueur among some supporters, they were as energized as ever.
In the women’s restroom, Mangione’s supporters chatted among themselves about this proceeding. One, who sported a satiny sash emblazoned with “Luigi” in green, appeared to commiserate with another supporter about not being permitted to wear the prom-queen evoking accessory.
Other accoutrements were more straightforward. One supporter wore a shirt stating: “11 minutes of missing body camera footage.”
