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Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to New York state charges in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, NBC News reported.

Manhattan prosecutors last week unsealed an 11-count indictment against Mangione in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 killing, including first-degree murder, an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon, and forgery for using a fake ID in the days before the murder, NBC News said.

The defense attorney also blamed Mangione’s ‘perp walks’ on New York City Mayor Eric Adams and said they are ‘absolutely unnecessary’ and ‘perfectly choreographed, utterly political,’ NBC News added.

On Thursday in Pennsylvania, Mangione waived his right to an extradition hearing and was transported by plane to New York, where NBC News said Mangione was hit with new federal charges: two counts of stalking, murder through use of a firearm, and a firearms offense.

Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to all state charges during the hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court, NBC News said, adding he spoke with defense attorney Karen Agnifilo and prison consultant Craig Rothfeld, who works with defendants on confinement issues.

Photo by CURTIS MEANS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The news network said Mangione is in federal incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro ordered Mangione to remain in custody in lieu of $1 bail, which NBC News called “a perfunctory act, since Mangione is being held in federal custody without bail and has no realistic chance of freedom until trial.

Luigi Mangione leaves court in New York City, Dec. 23, 2024.Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images

Agnifilo argued that her client might not receive a fair trial because law enforcement, by presenting Mangione in public during trips to courtrooms and police stations, has been increasing the case’s publicity, the news network said.

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

The defense attorney also blamed Mangione’s “perp walks” on New York City Mayor Eric Adams and said they are “absolutely unnecessary” and “perfectly choreographed, utterly political,” NBC News added.

“The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence,” Agnifilo said of Adams, a former NYPD captain, the news network added. An Adams representative could not be immediately reached for comment Monday, NBC News said.

‘Free Luigi’

Mangione appears to have a legion of fans. NBC News said Mangione supporters were seen outside a Pennsylvania court house Thursday where he appeared, and some were carrying signs that read “Free Luigi.” The scene Monday in Manhattan appeared much the same:

Demonstrators across from a Manhattan courthouse during the arraignment of Luigi Mangione, Dec. 23, 2024. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

You can view the NBC News video report here about Mangione’s pleas of not guilty.

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