Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges filed by New York prosecutors.
Thompson, was shot to death on December 4 outside a midtown Manhattan hotel where the company had gathered for a conference.
The indictment contains 11 charges, including first degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism.
If convicted, the 26-year-old faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in the town of Altona, Pennsylvania on December 9, after 5 days of efforts by the authorities to capture him.
While the killing has been widely condemned, Luigi Mangione has been hailed as a folk hero by some Americans, who decry the high costs of health care and the power that insurance companies have to deny payment for some medical treatments.
A few days ago Mangione was extradited to New York by helicopter and as he landed in Manhattan he was escorted by a large number of police officers. The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, was also present.
In today's session where he was introduced to the charges, his lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, called the way of accompanying the 26-year-old as a political spectacle, and referring to other statements by public officials, she said that her client was in danger of was not judged fairly.
Several dozen people gathered outside the courthouse, despite the freezing temperatures, to express support for Mangion and their anger at health care companies.
Kara Hay, a 42-year-old teacher, said it was wrong for Mangione to be charged with terrorism.
"Killing a chief executive doesn't make him a terrorist. I don't feel terrorized," she said.
The judge in the case, Gregory Carro, set a February 21 date for Luigi Mangione's next appearance.
Mangiones also faces federal charges of murder with a firearm, two counts of stalking and one count of using a silenced weapon.
Authorities say he planned the killing for months, fueled by hatred for the health insurance industry and wealthy corporate executives.
According to the federal indictment, Altona police found a notebook allegedly belonging to Luigi Mangione, which contained several handwritten pages "expressing anger at the health insurance industry and, in particular, its wealthy executives."
The police also found the suspect a letter addressed to "federal agents" that said: "I have not worked with anyone", according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutors may seek the death penalty on the murder charge, a penalty that has been waived in New York state for decades.
A few days ago, lawyer Friedman Agnifilo said that her client risks being tried twice for the same charges, not forgetting that he has been accused of more serious crimes than the facts prove, as she said. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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