Luigi Mangione's legal defense fund tops $1 million in donations
Luigi Mangione, accused in last year's murder of UnitedHeathCare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, is getting a lot of monetary support from the public.
His official legal defense fund, December 4th Legal Committee, has announced that it has received more than $1 million in "grassroots donations." The news coincides with Mangione's 27th birthday, which was on Tuesday.
The fund, which was created in December 2024, not long after Mangione was arrested, says more than 28,000 donors have contributed to the cause.
"This milestone was reached because of the continued resonance of Mr. Mangione's story," said Sam Beard, a spokesperson for the December 4 Legal Committee.
Mangione faces 11 state charges, including murder and terrorism, in New York, as well as forgery and weapons charges in Pennsylvania. Federal prosecutors have also charged with stalking, a firearm offense, and murder through the use of a firearm. Federal prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty against Mangione.
Mangione's lawyers seek dismissal of some N.Y. charges
Mangione's defense team said last week it wants at least two counts against him in the New York indictment thrown out. State prosecutors have yet to respond.
His attorneys filed a motion that includes photos of Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in an Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Attorney Karen Agnifilo alleges evidence was illegally obtained, that terrorism charges don't apply, and the concurrent state and federal prosecution violate the double jeopardy clause.
Her filing argues Mangione's statements to law enforcement were unconstitutional because he wasn't given his Miranda rights, and that any evidence from his backpack should be suppressed because it was obtained without a search warrant.
Agnifilo called it a "legal tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors" and an "unprecedented prosecutorial one-upmanship."
As an alternative, Agnifilo wrote the court could temporarily halt the state case while Mangione's federal death penalty case plays out.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson killed in NYC
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson, a husband and father of two, outside a midtown hotel on Dec. 4, 2024. Investigators said Thompson was on his way to an investors conference when he was shot in the back on the sidewalk.
The manhunt for his killer led police through Central Park to a hostel on the Upper West Side and eventually to the McDonald's in Pennsylvania.
