The man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in a brazen hit in New York that sparked fierce debate about the industry pleaded not guilty Monday to state charges including “terrorist” murder.
Monday’s hearing came after Mangione, 26, appeared in a New York court last week to face federal charges also including murder following his dramatic extradition by plane and helicopter from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant. The suspect is charged in both state and federal court in the December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.
People demonstrating against the industry gathered outside court Monday brandishing banners reading “free Luigi” and “innocent until proven guilty.”
If convicted in the state case, Mangione could face life imprisonment with no parole. In the federal case, he could technically face the death penalty.
Mangioni’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo has previously sought clarity on how simultaneous federal and state charges would work, calling the situation “highly unusual.”
Agnifilo raised concerns on Monday that Mangione could not receive a fair trial, and questioned why New York mayor Eric Adams had been present when Mangione was brought off a police helicopter at a Manhattan helipad last week. Aginifilo told local media Monday that officials “are treating him like he is like some sort of political fodder.” She said the sight of Mangione flanked by rifle-wielding tactical officers during the final stage of his extradition that was widely broadcast was “utterly political.”
Literally standard procedure for a criminal trial. I absolutely hate it.
It’s predicated on “never admit guilt, so we can wheel and deal in backrooms to make a plea deal.” They say plea deals are to keep courts from being packed and backed up, but it’s more about punishing the poorest who have no money to fight when they’re innocent.
Almost everyone always starts with a plea of Not Guilty. No matter how fuckin guilty they are or not. You could be the guiltiest motherfucker on the planet, and you’ll still have your lawyer tell you to plea Not Guilty.
The point in this one is to convince a jury that he’s not guilty of the exact charges. His lawyers will surely go the “not terrorism” route, but unfortunately he has other charges. I think the legal term is “stacking”?
Yep, they’re hitting him with media-generating charges like first degree murder and terrorism, but probably can only make the second degree murder actually stick. That way they can drop the worst charges and still hit him with second degree.
In NY state they must charge terrorism to get first-degree murder. Unless the victim is a cop or judge, then proceed.
It’s not a media thing, it’s what state law allows. Let’s talk about how fucked up that is instead.
Eh, my lawyer recommended that I plead nolo contendere, but each case is different.
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I think the failure of the phrase ACAB is that it pins the problems of the system just on cops. Corrupt lawmakers, judges, district attorneys, prosecutors, and defenders all play into this as well. Lawmakers made the laws defer to cops over citizens, judges treat a cops word as more truthful than a citizens, same with district attorneys and prosecuting attorneys. They’re all scratching each others back in a sick system where nearly all of them are essentially above the law. Cops are enabled by all the other groups.
TWSIAB.
Well the thing is if you plead guilty you’re immediately at the mercy of the judge. They simply decide on your sentence based on the provided information and give you a penalty in line with the laws around it.
Even if your the most guilty of the guilty, you’re generally better off having a jury trial to determine how guilty, how much punishment you deserve, and give your lawyer a chance to make sure you are sentenced fairly, as if you appear sympathetic you could get the minimum penalty rather than the maximum. The exception would be if you had an exceptionally good plea bargain for pleading guilty.
Luigi isn’t poor or without money, though.
Which, hopefully, he can use some of that for his attorney. That’s the problem with our dystopia. The poor are far too powerless to take matters into their own hands. They don’t have access to 3D printers, let alone ammunition and the academic rigour that wealth can provide to plot something like this. And I’m not talking the whole "getting away from it part. The hit was calculated.
That’s why the elite are pressing so hard against this. If more of their own (but lesser) become sympathetic to the larger population, then they are truly fucked.
Revolutions need resources. We’re in a society where the resources are so well controlled and industrialized that every little bit is tracked. It’s up to the people with any power to do something to do it.
That’s the message the elite doesnt want to spread. They don’t want people that have basic human empathy to turn against their handlers.