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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will plead not guilty to forgery and weapons charges that were filed against him in Pennsylvania, Mangione's lawyer said Tuesday in his first public comments.
"We pled not guilty, at least to the charges in Pennsylvania," attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters. He added that he's "not aware of any actual charges in New York," where Thompson was shot.
Mangione did not have a lawyer during his arraignment in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday, and Dickey noted that, saying, "I hope he pled not guilty. I assume that that's what happened. But today, when I entered my appearance in for the record, he's pleading not guilty."
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Mangione was detained and arrested on weapons charges in Altoona after a McDonald's employee saw Mangione and thought he looked similar to photos of the suspect in Thompson's shooting that police had released last week.
New York officials later said he was a "strong person of interest" in the case, and prosecutors in the state filed a murder charge against Mangione late Monday night.
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Mangione appeared in court on Tuesday for an extradition hearing, and Dickey said that during the proceeding, "they introduced some documents, which, as I complained about, didn't have enough information for me."
"So we're looking forward to, you know, getting that additional information," he said.
Dickey added: "Like I said earlier, and I wasn't kidding around, a couple of things: if you're going to report something, report it accurately. And remember, and this is not just a small thing, the fundamental concept of American justice is the presumption of innocent...until you're proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. And I have seen zero evidence at this point."
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson, 50, outside a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan last week while the UnitedHealthcare CEO was on his way to an annual investor conference.
New York City Police Department officials said Monday that when Mangione was arrested in Altoona, about 275 miles away from Manhattan, police discovered a three-page handwritten note on him.
Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives at the NYPD, said at a news conference that the person who wrote the note expressed "ill will toward corporate America."
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CNN cited a law enforcement source as saying that the document's author apologized for "any strife or trauma" but added, "These parasites had it coming."
The New York Times also cited a senior law enforcement official who said the document found on Mangione mentioned UnitedHealthcare by name and noted the company's size and how much money it makes.
When he appeared for his extradition hearing on Tuesday, Mangione was seen being ushered into the courthouse and shouted at the media as police officers pushed him toward the building. He was heard shouting, in part, that "it's completely out of touch, and it's an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It's lived experience."
Dickey said Tuesday that he told his client to stay quiet during the hearing and that Mangione "shut his mouth" afterward.
"Which is good, that's what he needs to do," Dickey said. When asked if he knew of Mangione's comments before the hearing, Dickey said he "heard some different versions of that, so I need to see what that statement was."
He added: "Hopefully, there won't be any more of that."
Update 12/10/24, 6:39 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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