Luigi Mangione, accused in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has had a request filed by his defense team to allow him to wear civilian clothing, including a suit, during his Aug. 11 court appearance. Mangione, currently held in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, is scheduled to appear before New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro for a status conference.
The defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo, and Jacob Kaplan submitted a proposed order to U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, asking officials to permit Mangione to wear civilian attire, specifically a suit, shirt, socks, and shoes without laces, for the hearing. The filing also requested that the detention center allow him to wear this clothing while being transported to court.
"Mr. Mangione ... does not have civilian clothes to wear for the court appearance," the filing stated. "We therefore request – without objection from Judge Carro or the government – that this Court order the Bureau of Prisons and the MDC to accept" the clothing. According to the filing, Justice Carro and the prosecution do not oppose this routine procedural request for defendants in federal custody appearing in a different court system.
This request for civilian attire comes amid an ongoing aggressive pretrial campaign by Mangione's defense team. They have challenged restrictions on media access, arguing that limitations on courtroom coverage violate constitutional rights and have sought permission to livestream parts of the proceedings.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have opposed these efforts, asserting that the defense is making false and misleading claims about the court's media policies in an attempt to sway public opinion.
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, and was arrested days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee recognized him. He has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges related to the killing.