Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is “agitated and irritated” over his treatment in a Pennsylvania jail and his lack of legal representation, his lawyer Thomas Dickey has said.
Mangione, arrested on December 9, currently at SCI Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, appeared upset when he was led to an extradition hearing. The suspect, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, shouted cryptic phrases outside the Blair County courthouse, including, “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!”
According to Dickey, this emotional response stemmed from Mangione’s frustration with the situation. Dickey was quoted as saying by CNN, “He’s irritated, agitated about what’s happening to him and what he’s being accused of.” But after meeting with Dickey for the first time on December 10, Mangione’s attitude appeared to shift. The lawyer noted, “Look at the difference between when he went in and when he came out, once he … finally had legal representation and now he has a spokesperson and someone that’s going to fight for him.”
Mangione faces extradition to New York, where he is accused of killing Thompson on December 4, in Midtown Manhattan. The 50-year-old CEO was shot dead while he was walking to attend UnitedHealthcare’s annual investors’ meeting. Investigators have linked a ghost gun found with Mangione in Pennsylvania to the crime scene, as well as fingerprints found on a water bottle and snack bar wrapper. Additionally, shell casings at the scene were marked with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose,” possibly referencing the 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend, which critiques the healthcare insurance industry.
Despite these claims, Dickey has expressed scepticism about the evidence and urged caution. “As lawyers, we need to see it. We need to see: how they collect it. How much of it? And then we would have our experts … take a look at that, and then we would challenge its admissibility and challenge the accuracy of those results,” he said. He also questioned the credibility of ballistics and fingerprint analysis, which he noted have come under scrutiny in the past.
Mangione is scheduled for another court appearance on December 23. He remains in solitary confinement at SCI Huntingdon, where his treatment has drawn public attention. Inmates at the facility were heard shouting complaints about the conditions, with one calling out, “Conditions suck!” and another shouting, “Free Luigi!” during a live broadcast from outside the jail.
