Luigi Mangione to plead not guilty as his lawyer claims there's 'zero evidence' he shot CEO

11 Dec 2024, 09:15 by Joseph WilkesOvernight editor (innovation), Anthony Orrico · Irish Mirror

The lawyer for Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, anticipates his client will plead not guilty to murder charges in New York City.

The 26-year-old was arrested in a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday after Thompson was killed outside a Manhattan Hotel last week.

Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Following a hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, defence attorney Tom Dickey told reporters that he has been retained to represent Mangione in Pennsylvania and may also represent him in New York.

Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10, 2024 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Mangione has been arraigned on weapons and false identification charges related to the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City(Image: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Dickey stated that his client will also be pleading not guilty to illegal firearm and forgery charges in Pennsylvania.

"We've pled not guilty, at least to the charges in Pennsylvania. Like I said I'm not aware of any actual charges in New York," Dickey said. He added: "I'm telling you as his lawyer, he didn't have any representation until I got involved this afternoon. And I'm telling you he's pleading not guilty."

He added that he "hasn't seen any evidence that Mangione is the shooter". He added: "I have not seen one scintilla, one speck, one drop of any evidence yet. So, it's what I decided, I think, was in our best interest to do today."

Tom Dickey, Luigi Mangione’s lawyer(Image: abc10)

After Mangione's courtroom outburst on Tuesday, where he exclaimed it was an "insult to the intelligence of the American people," his lawyer Dickey advised him to "shut his mouth," noting, "Which is good, that's what he needs to do. Hopefully there won't be anymore of that."

Dickey also expressed his belief that Mangione should have been granted bail at the hearing, questioning if the second-degree murder charge in New York might be eligible for bail under Pennsylvania law.

"To simply say no bail, with all due respect to the judge, I believe bail should have been set," Dickey stated, reports the Mirror US.

"The judge could set $1 million bail. It could be $5 million bail, but damn it, you get bail. That’s what you do."

(Image: AP)

He suggested that the judge could have set a high bail amount but insisted that his client was entitled to it. As investigators from New York and Pennsylvania work to establish a timeline of Mangione's whereabouts from the shooting to his arrest, Dickey refrained from disclosing who hired him, clarifying he isn't a public defender.

While prosecutors are building their case, Dickey continued to assert his client’s innocence. “You can’t rush to judgment in this case or any case,” he said.

He emphasised Mangione's presumption of innocence, saying: "he's presumed innocent lets not forget that, that's the number premise of our wonderful country."

UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson was shot to death(Image: AP)

Dickey revealed that his client intends to contest extradition to New York, asserting their right to see evidence and stating proudly that it's a constitutional entitlement.

Dickey commented: "The burden is always on the government thank god, and that's their burden and they're going to have to produce some evidence and we're anxious to see it".

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