MANHATTAN — Luigi Mangione’s legal team is attending a pretrial hearing in New York City state court. Mangione is charged with stalking and murdering Brian Thompson, age 50, the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, in Manhattan in 2024.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Federal prosecutors stated that Mangione’s writings allegedly included a plan to attack an insurance company chief executive. A notebook kept by Mangione contained handwritten pages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors. A state judge dismissed terrorism charges filed against Mangione last September, and a federal judge ruled earlier this year that Mangione will not face the death penalty. Mangione is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

State Judge Gregory Carro ruled last month that a firearm, a silencer, and a notebook will be admitted as evidence at trial. Mangione’s state trial is scheduled to begin in early September. If convicted on the remaining charges, Mangione could face life imprisonment without parole. Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo stated on a website that Mangione does not espouse political violence.

A crowd-sourced legal defense fund for Mangione has received more than $1.5 million from over 42,000 donors. An online donor contributed $5,000 to Mangione’s legal fund. Supporters displayed signs outside Manhattan federal court on January 9. A pro-Mangione website created by volunteers reported that he has received nearly 7,000 personal letters from dozens of countries. Fans have also written poetry and songs about Mangione and sent photographs to the prison where he is detained.

Defense attorney and legal analyst Richard Schoenstein said, “The concern you have as a prosecutor is that public support is going to make it into the jury room.” Schoenstein added, “There definitely are people out there who assume this defendant committed the crime, but support him in doing so.”