Luigi Mangione fans looked shocked and elated in court today after a judge dismissed the two most serious charges against him.
Judge Gregory Carro said that the evidence was ‘legally insufficient’ for the counts –murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism, and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism.
In court, Mangione’s fans put their hands over their faces and smiled with one appearing to wipe a tear from her face.
He still faces one count of murder in the second degree, which is now his most serious charge in December’s killing of healthcare executive Brian Thompson.
Mangione is also accused of two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of weapon in the fourth degree and one count of possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
The decision is a huge legal win for Mangione and comes after his lawyers’ claimed prosecutors were rushing to bring the case against him.
Mangione walked into court looking stoic, wearing a prison issue tan colored top and pants.
His hands were shackled in front of him, and he had leg chains on as he made his way down the hall.
Luigi Mangione fans looked shocked and elated in court today after Judge Gregory Carro dismissed the first two terrorist allegations against him, citing lack of evidence
The judge’s decision to drop the terrorism charges against Mangione was a big win for his lawyers who have argued that prosecutors were rushing to bring the case against him
Spectators for Luigi Mangione wait outside of Manhattan Criminal court for a chance to get inside to see him, including this fan wearing a pink shirt that read ‘I love Italian boys’ with Mangione’s face plastered on the heart
Prior to this, his supporters defended him outside the New York courthouse as it was his first appearance since the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Supporters gathered outside the downtown Manhattan courtroom Tuesday morning for his first appearance since the killing of Charlie Kirk – another high-profile murder that has been compared to Thompson’s.
The accused murderer’s fans said that he had taken a ‘bite out of corruption’ when he allegedly shot dead former UnitedHealthcare executive Thompson, 50, outside a hotel in Manhattan.
Mangione, a 27-year-old Ivy League graduate, has become a ‘symbol’ for the fight for healthcare reform, his supporters said.
The hearing in New York took place less than a week after Kirk was shot dead at a campus event in Orem, Utah, on September 10.
The alleged of Kirk, the founder of right-wing activism group Turning Point USA, is accused of engraving messages into the bullet casings just like Mangione allegedly did.
Mangione is accused of 11 counts including murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree by prosecutors at the state court in New York.
The Manhattan District Attorney claims that Mangione shot dead Thompson, 50, a father-of-two, outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4th last year.
He allegedly wrote ‘Deny. Depose. Delay’ on the bullets in a sign of his anger at the healthcare system which reportedly sprang from his long-term back problems.
Mangione walked into court wearing a tan prison-issued jumpsuit. He still faces one count of murder in the second degree, which is now his most serious charge
One fan outside the courthouse waved a ‘Free Luigi’ poster while sporting a hat modeled after the Super Mario Bros. character Luigi
Kirk’s alleged assassin Tyler Robinson, 22, is said to have been staunchly against his right-wing views and wrote: ‘Hey fascist! Catch!’ on one of the bullet casings he used.
At the Manhattan Criminal Court Mangione’s supporters, who were mostly young and female, wore t-shirts in his honor including one which said: ‘Luigi’s Pizza, Brooklyn’, an actual restaurant in the city.
Some wore masks in another ‘tribute’ to when he wore one while allegedly carrying out the assassination to disguise his identity.
Aeliana Boyer said that she was there because ‘healthcare is a human right’ and that she saw Mangione as a ‘symbol’.
She said: ‘I don’t condone murder, murder is terrible, but I understand the frustration.’
Asked about Kirk’s killing, she said: ‘The only parallel I see is that the United States has no gun reform. Mangione does not seem as far right as the guy who killed Charlie Kirk. There’s so many guns.’
Gladys Sharpp, 22, a home health aide, was standing with her friend, who only gave her name as Jasmin.
Both were dressed in the same green as Luigi from the Mario Bros video games, held up pro-Luigi posters and even had a computer display with his name on their backpacks.
The alleged killer of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, 22, was accused of engraving messages into the bullet casings, drawing parallels to Mangione allegedly engraving ‘Deny. Depose. Delay’ to show his anger towards the healthcare system
Fans told Daily Mail that the only parallel between Mangione and Robinson’s cases was that they were a byproduct of the US’s lack of gun reform, but argued that they differed on the political spectrum with Mangione more left leaning
The Manhattan District Attorney claims that Mangione shot dead Brian Thompson, 50, a father-of-two, outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4 last year
Sharpp said: ‘We’re here because we both support Luigi for what he did, taking a bite out of corruption of the healthcare industry.
‘I’m a home health aide myself so I feel a big part of why he did it, I understand why he did it.
‘He was the one that decided it was ok to take a bit out of corruption. Going the violent way is not always the best way but I support what he did. How many people can say they’d stand there and do that same thing?’
Sharpp said she ‘could see the comparison’ between the killing of Kirk.
She said: ‘I understand there’s some people who think it’s wrong what he (Mangione) did but me and my friends are in solidarity for what he (Mangione) did.
‘Violence is wrong but it comes to a point where you’ve tried every option, violence should not be looked down upon’.
Mangione’s supporters have raised more than $1.2million for his legal defense fund despite the seriousness of the allegations against him.
Prosecutors claim that after the murder, Mangione fled New York and was arrested days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, 200 miles away.
In court, fans that made it inside put their hands over their faces and smiled, with some even shedding tears after they heard the judge’s decision
Despite the serious allegations he faces, Mangione’s supporters have rallied behind him, raising more than $1.2million for his legal defense fund
Police allegedly found a notebook in his backpack in which he wrote that killing Thompson was ‘targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents’.
Police believe Mangione saw the execution as a ‘symbolic takedown’ and that he saw himself as a ‘hero’.
Mangione separately faces federal charges including murder through the use of a firearm, firearms offense and two counts of stalking.
The murder charges state that he killed Thompson ‘in furtherance of an act of terrorism’ and as a ‘crime of terrorism’.
The allegation of murder with a firearm makes Mangione eligible for the death penalty.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she will pursue his execution if he is convicted.
In a prophetic legal filing late last month, prosecutors in the federal case warned that Mangione was trying to inspire others to do what he did.
‘Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,’ they stated.
‘Since the murder, certain quarters of the public – who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant – have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement.’
Mangione also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania where he was arrested and will have to appear there on November 7.
He has denied all the allegations.
