Luigi Mangione is scheduled to appear before a Manhattan court as preparations continue for the closely watched murder trial stemming from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 28, is accused of killing Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2024. The case drew enormous public attention, becoming a flashpoint for wider anger over the functioning of the health insurance industry.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges, including weapons and forgery offences brought in New York. He has also denied stalking allegations in a separate federal prosecution.
The hearing before Justice Gregory Carro is expected to address several issues connected with the upcoming trial, including the process for selecting jurors and the extent to which the public will be permitted to access proceedings.
The prosecution has indicated that it intends to rely on a substantial body of evidence. This includes surveillance recordings, fingerprints, DNA evidence, cellphone data, a firearm allegedly linked through ballistic testing and a notebook said to contain writings expressing hostility toward insurers and references to killing.
Mangione’s defence has so far disclosed little about how it intends to challenge the allegations. A filing made in July, however, suggested that the defence could contend that he experienced an extreme mental health crisis that affected his actions. The defence has not accepted that Mangione was responsible for the shooting.
Thompson had headed the insurance business of UnitedHealth Group before his death. He was shot outside a hotel where an investor conference was being held.
The killing, followed by a days-long search for the suspect, quickly became one of the most closely followed criminal cases in the United States. Mangione was eventually arrested in Pennsylvania.
Separate federal proceedings against him are scheduled to move toward trial in January.
