The man accused of assassinating the CEO of UnitedHealthcare smiled in a Manhattan court before pleading not guilty to the shocking murder.
Luigi Mangione, 26 was shackled and wearing a preppy shirt and sweater during his Monday initial hearing on New York murder and terror charges.
Mangione is accused of walking up behind Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk on Dec. 4 and opening fire with a handgun.
He was arrested five days later at a Pennsylvania McDonald's restaurant while eating breakfast.
Mangione was carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting, police claimed. He also had a fake ID authorities claimed was used to book a room at a hostel in the city in the days before the shooting.
He also was carrying a notebook that contained negative writings about the health insurance industry, federal prosecutors have said.
Quoting a senior law enforcement official who saw the document, The New York Times reported that the manifesto contained phrases like "these parasites had it coming" and "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done."
In court on Monday, Mangione's lawyers said public comments by Mayor Eric Adams will make it hard for him to receive a fair trial.
One of the lawyers claimed that Mangione has become a political pawn, the Associated Press reported. They claimed it could taint the jury pool into a bias against him.
Along with the state charges, Mangione faces federal charges in connection with the case. The federal charges could bring the death penalty.
Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo claimed federal and state prosecutors were using conflicting legal theories.
"He is being treated like a human Ping-Pong ball between warring jurisdictions here," she claimed.
The state trial is expected to be held before the federal case.
