By Jack Queen
NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) – Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, is due in court on Tuesday for a hearing ahead of his murder trial next month.
Mangione, 28, is accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in December 2024. The killing was widely condemned by public officials but became emblematic of many Americans’ frustration with health insurance industry practices.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He also pleaded not guilty to stalking charges in a separate federal case.
At Tuesday’s hearing before Justice Gregory Carro, the parties are expected to discuss topics including jury selection and public access to the highly anticipated trial.
Prosecutors say they can prove Mangione’s guilt with hundreds of hours of surveillance video, fingerprints, DNA, a cellphone, a gun with matching ballistics and a notebook in which Mangione allegedly wrote of hating insurers and wanting to kill.
Mangione’s lawyers have revealed almost nothing about their potential trial strategy, though a July court filing indicated they might argue Mangione lost control of his actions due to an extreme mental health breakdown. They have not conceded that he was the shooter.
Thompson led UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit before he was shot dead in the early morning outside a hotel where an investor conference was taking place.
Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt for a suspect made the case a media fixture and social media sensation. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
His trial in the federal case is scheduled to begin in January.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter)
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