Luigi Mangione’s attorneys filed a Tuesday motion to request that their client make his next appearance in state court without a bulletproof vest and shackles.
Mangione’s high-profile case linked to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been in headlines for months since his arrest in December. His lawyers say the coverage and appearance in court “are damaging to Mr. Mangione’s right to a fair trial.”
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s lead attorney and former prosecutor, said images captured of the defendant shackled and in a bulletproof vest “perpetuate a false narrative that Mr. Mangione is an unusual danger requiring extraordinary security measures.”
“Since the inception of this case, Mr. Mangione has been strategically portrayed to require heightened security measures and has endured unnecessary and prejudicial militaristic shows of force,” Agnifilo wrote in her letter to Judge Gregory Carro.
She said Mangione has been a “model” prisoner who has treated everyone in the court with respect.
However, the defendant has shown brash displays of discontent since the start of his trial. During his December extradition hearing, he was photographed while yelling at the press and wrangling with law enforcement.
Carro must now decide whether or not he will grant the motion to unshackle Mangione ahead of his next state court hearing in late June.