The defense attorney who represents Luigi Mangione, the main suspect of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, rejected there is any evidence linking his client to the murder.
Speaking to ABC News, Thomas Dickey said the gun found on Mangione doesn't necessarily have to be the one used to kill Thompson, as "a lot of guns look the same." "If you brought a gun and said, 'well, it looks like that,' I don't even know if that evidence would be admissible. So I would argue it wouldn't be given much weight."
Discussing Mangione's challenge to being extradited to New York, Dickey said his client "has constitutional rights and that's what he's doing." He was charged in Pennsylvania for the possession of a "ghost gun," among other charges, and of second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Thompson on December 4.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it will also seek a governor's warrant to force the extradition. Governor Kathy Hochul said she'll sign it to "ensure this individual is tried and held accountable." Mangione plans to plead not guilty in Pennsylvania and would also plead not guilty in New York, Dickey anticipated.
Mangione refused to waive his extradition to New York Tuesday, paving the way for a lengthy court battle. The move bought his defense team time to contest his Pennsylvania arrest, according to WABC-TV.
Mangione's attorneys have 14 days to file motions with the court and prosecutors will have 30 days to obtain a warrant from the governor of New York, officials said, according to the outlet. The court will then decide how to rule on the extradition. It may take up to 45 days to get Mangione back in New York, prosecutors said.
While being escorted by officers into the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania a day after his preliminary hearing on gun charges, a seemingly agitated Mangione shouted to reporters: "This is completely unjust and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience."
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the late insurance executive's slaying as a "brazen" and "targeted murder" at a Monday press conference announcing Mangione was taken into custody earlier in the day while eating at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. A worker recognized him and called 911, she said.
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