NEW YORK — The individual suspected of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has enlisted a well-known defense attorney as his legal representative while prosecutors in Manhattan work on extraditing him from Pennsylvania to face charges related to the crime.
Luigi Mangione’s defense will now be led by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who previously held a prominent role as a senior deputy in the Manhattan district attorney’s office before shifting to private practice.
Friedman Agnifilo’s firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, announced her involvement in the case in a statement released late Friday, noting that she would not provide comments regarding the matter at this time.
Mangione was apprehended on Monday after a patron at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized him as someone sought in connection with the December 4th shooting of Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
According to police reports, Mangione was discovered in possession of a firearm, a mask, and notes that connected him to the ambush that occurred outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was arriving for an investor conference related to his company.
At 26 years of age, Mangione remains in custody without bail in Pennsylvania, where he faces initial charges involving firearms and forgery. Altoona is approximately 230 miles (370 kilometers) away from New York City.
Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, has expressed concerns regarding premature judgment of the case and indicated that his client intends to contest the extradition to New York.
However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg mentioned in a press conference that there are signs suggesting Mangione might not pursue this challenge any longer.
“We are prepared to move forward on two fronts and will be ready whether he chooses to waive extradition or fight it,” Bragg stated during an unrelated event in Times Square.
Shortly after Mangione’s capture on Monday, Bragg’s office initiated legal proceedings against him, charging him with five criminal counts, which include intentional murder, possession of a weapon, and possession of a forged instrument.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has indicated readiness to ask her counterpart in Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro, to intervene if Mangione does not voluntarily agree to his extradition. Such an intervention could involve issuing a governor’s warrant.
Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s newly appointed attorney, held the title of Chief Assistant District Attorney from 2014 to 2021 and also previously headed the trial division of the office. She has made numerous television appearances as a legal analyst and co-hosts a weekly podcast while serving as the legal adviser for the “Law & Order” television series.
Her husband and law partner, Mark Agnifilo, is currently representing noted music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in a federal sex trafficking case in Manhattan.
