The lawyer representing Luigi Mangione has revealed that the alleged shooter exploded outside a Pennsylvania courthouse because he was “agitated.”
Mangione, who faces second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, appeared in court Tuesday to fight extradition to the Big Apple.
As he was led into the courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Mangione, 26, yelled at reporters for being “completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience.”
The outburst came after someone asked the Ivy League graduate if he “did it,” referencing the murder of Brian Thompson, according to the Wall Street Journal.
He also shouted “this is completely unfair and an insult to the American people” as he struggled with police officers while shackled and dressed in prison clothing.
But speaking to Erin Burnett on her CNN show Wednesday night, defense attorney Thomas Dickey said his client was upset because he had no legal representation at the time.
“He’s irritated, agitated about what’s happening to him and what he’s accused of,” Dickey said when Burnett asked him if he would seek a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
“He never had legal representation until he walked into that building yesterday.”
Luigi Mangione’s defense attorney said Wednesday that he was “agitated” when he appeared in court Tuesday to fight extradition to New York.
He is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, and has been charged in New York with second-degree murder.
Dickey went on to explain that his client began acting differently after extradition, when he was seen pouting while being led to a vehicle, because he found “someone he could trust.”
“If you notice it, watch the film, see the difference between when he entered and when he left,” the lawyer urged.
“Once he got in, he finally had legal representation,” he continued. “I like to think he had someone he could trust and have faith in.
“Now he has a spokesperson and someone who is going to fight for him.”
Dickey also said he interpreted Mangione’s outburst as “frustration at being an incarcerated young man” and noted that the first time he made contact with Mangione was when he walked through the courthouse door for his extradition hearing.
He stated that Dickey was “upset because (Mangione) didn’t have any legal counsel before that” and went on to explain that he has learned about the case primarily through different media outlets.
“I appreciate the work that you do as reporters because I am actually using different news as a source of information, because no one is sharing this evidence with me.”
Mangione had no legal representation when he first arrived at the courthouse, his attorney said.
Defense lawyer Thomas Dickey previously said there was no evidence to suggest the 26-year-old was the person who killed Thompson at point-blank range on December 4.
Dickey noted that he probably won’t see any police reports before Mangione’s court hearing in Pennsylvania on weapons charges on Dec. 23.
He had previously said there was no evidence to suggest the 26-year-old was the person who killed Thompson at close range before fleeing the scene.
“I haven’t seen any evidence that says he’s the shooter,” he told reporters Tuesday. “The fundamental concept of American justice is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
But on Wednesday, New York police officers laid out all the evidence they had gathered against the former valedictorian.
Fingerprints found on a Kind bar and a water bottle at the scene, and fingerprints found on those, matched Mangione’s.
Police also reportedly found a bottle of water that the suspect purchased at Starbucks shortly before the murder.
NYPD officials announced Wednesday that fingerprints found on a Kind bar and a water bottle at the location, and fingerprints found on those, matched those of Mangione.
—First, we recovered the weapon in question from Pennsylvania. “He’s now in the NYPD crime lab,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings we found in Midtown at the homicide scene.”
Meanwhile, NYPD Top Cop Joseph Kenny told CBS New York that no fingerprints were found on the bullets that killed Thompson, but they were found on a cellphone recovered from the scene.
He said the evidence was being processed, but did not say whether it appeared to match Mangione.