(Bloomberg) — Luigi Mangione’s lawyer complained that authorities have “consistently leaked” material from a “manifesto” that is being used to portray the 26-year-old as a terrorist in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.
His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in a New York state court filing Monday that prosecutors were trying to show that Mangione publicly declared his intentions before the shooting, when there is “absolutely no evidence” that Mangione ever released the manifesto. The document, contained in journals found in his backpack and expressed outrage over the state of the American healthcare system, is a key part of the case against Mangione.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York state first- and second-degree murder charges related to the brazen shooting of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December. The first-degree charge accuses Mangione of killing Thompson in an act of terrorism and carries a potential life sentence.
“By releasing these writings to the public and calling them a manifesto, law enforcement is responsible for causing the very public alarm that they are now trying to attribute to Mr. Mangione, which is the basis for charging him with the enhanced charge of murder in the first degree as an act of terrorism,” Friedman Agnifilo said.
In addition, she said the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has also failed to turn over evidence collected in the case by a December deadline and said the court shouldn’t grant prosecutors’ request for a protective order that would allow them to delay disclosing more evidence.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said their office would respond in court filings at a later date. Mangione is also facing federal charges, which carry the death penalty, enhanced by allegations that Mangione stalked his victim.
Friedman Agnifilo also sought permission for Mangione to access a computer while in jail to assist with his defense. She said he could use a specially-configured laptop, which doesn’t have access to the Internet, to review 15,000 pages of electronic evidence collected against him.
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