Heart-shaped notes found in socks for accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione
Prosecutors revealed heart-shaped notes were hidden among socks later given to Luigi Mangione, who is charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
- Two handwritten notes were concealed in socks delivered to Luigi Mangione, accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
- Prosecutors objected to Mangione being allowed to wear the socks, arguing it was special treatment, but the defense asserted defendants routinely wear normal clothes in court.
- The court approved Mangione's request for a laptop to review discovery materials while in custody, pending federal authorities' permission.
Two handwritten, heart-shaped notes were slipped into argyle socks delivered to Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, prosecutors and defense attorneys said in court documents released this week.
Prosecutors say Mangione fatally shot Thompson, 50, outside a New York City hotel in December, sparking a days-long manhunt as well as an outpouring of vitriol against the health insurance industry and public support for Mangione.
A court officer found a note urging Mangione to keep his "head held high” and “know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” signed “K / Free Luigi" hidden in the cardboard packaging of socks provided to him before a February court appearance, according to court documents filed this week. Another heart-shaped note addressed to “Joan” was also intercepted, prosecutors said.
Despite the discovery, Mangione was allowed to wear the socks, but he later took them off because he felt that ‘they did not look good,'" prosecutors wrote. Prosecutor Joel Seidemann wrote that incarcerated defendants typically wear jail-issued clothing, and “special treatment to the defendant’s benefit was violated when (prosecutors) made accommodations for defendant’s fashion needs during the last court appearance.”
Mangione's attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said the defense team didn't see the notes while rushing to get the clothes to their client.
"This was obviously inadvertent as one of the two heart-shaped notes was not even addressed to Mr. Mangione," she wrote, adding that allowing defendants to wear normal clothes in court is not special treatment.
Court OKs access to laptop for Mangione
Seidemann's filing also opposed various defense requests, including one to give Mangione access to a laptop while in federal custody "to facilitate his review of discovery once it is provided." Seidemann called the defense proposal an unwarranted request for more special treatment.
New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro said in a court order Thursday that "the court has no objection to the defendant being provided with a laptop computer to view discovery if the federal authorities permit it.”
Spokespeople for the district attorney's office and Mangione's defense team declined to comment on the ruling.
Mangione, 26, is facing state charges in New York, including weapons and murder offenses; state charges in Pennsylvania, including forgery and weapons offenses; and federal charges of stalking and murder through use of a firearm.
His next federal court hearing is scheduled April 18. He will appear in New York Superior Court on June 26. It's not clear when he will appear next in court to face the charges against him in Pennsylvania.
Contributing: Phaedra Trethan, Paste BN