23 December 2024, 14:44 | Updated: 23 December 2024, 17:22
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Getty
Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and a slew of other charges following the killing of United Healthcare’s CEO
Brian Thompson was killed earlier this month after being gunned down outside a New York hotel.
On Monday, Mangione denied Mr Thompson’s murder during an NYC court appearance, with the 26-year-old also pleading not guilty to a string of other offences.
Mangione spoke into a microphone and said “not guilty” when asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment against him.
Charges against Mangione currently include three murder charges, including murder as an act of terrorism.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Some protesters gathered outside court, in support of the suspect.
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Getty
It comes days after Mangione waived his right to an extradition hearing after being charged with first degree murder for shooting healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The suspect was flown back to New York from Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Thursday last week to face multiple charges against him.
Read more: Luigi Mangione waives extradition over health insurance boss shooting in New York
The suspect was escorted into a 13th-floor courtroom in lower Manhattan on Monday morning US time, flanked by court officers and half dozen officers following him.
Mangione was handcuffs and held in shackles, wearing a burgundy sweater over a white collared shirt.
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Alamy
Recent weeks have seen a groundswell of misguided support for Mangione from sections of the public, united by the challenges of the US healthcare system.
During last week’s court appearance, his supporters were spotted outside the court house earlier today, some bearing signs that read “Free Luigi.”
Mangione was arrested by police following a widespread manhunt stretching beyond the state of New York’s borders.
The suspect was arrested in a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the CEO’s pre-dawn killing on December 4.
Thompson was killed outside the Manhattan hotel as members of his company were gathering for an investor conference.