NEW YORK—The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has enlisted a prominent defense attorney to join his legal team as Manhattan prosecutors seek to bring him back from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge.
Luigi Mangione has hired Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former high-ranking deputy in the Manhattan district attorney’s office who now practices law privately.
A statement from Friedman Agnifilo’s law firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, confirmed her representation of Mangione. The firm stated that she will not be providing comments on the case at this time.
Mangione was taken into custody on Monday after a McDonald’s customer in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized him while eating breakfast and alerted authorities about his resemblance to the suspect in the December 4 murder of Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
Police discovered Mangione with a gun, mask, and writings linking him to the attack outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was attending his company’s annual investor conference.
Currently, Mangione, 26, remains imprisoned without bail in Pennsylvania, where he faces initial charges related to firearms and forgery. Altoona is approximately 230 miles west of New York City.
Related Stories
Mangione’s attorney in Pennsylvania, Thomas Dickey, has advised against making premature judgments in the case and stated that his client will challenge extradition to New York.
Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicated on Friday that Mangione may be considering waiving his right to contest extradition.
“We going to continue to press forward on parallel paths, and we’ll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he is going to contest extradition,” Bragg stated at a press conference in Times Square.
Following Mangione’s arrest on Monday, Bragg’s office filed charges against him, including intentional murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has expressed readiness to request Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to issue a governor’s warrant for Mangione’s extradition if he does not agree to voluntary transfer.
Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s new lawyer, served as Chief Assistant District Attorney from 2014 to 2021 and previously led the office’s trial division. She is a familiar face on television as a CNN legal analyst, hosts a weekly podcast, and serves as the legal advisor for “Law & Order.”
Her spouse and law partner, Mark Agnifilo, is representing Sean “Diddy” Combs in the hip-hop mogul’s federal sex trafficking case in Manhattan.
By Michael R. Sisak
Please rewrite this sentence.
Source link
