Following Luigi Mangione being arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, his attorney has now spoken out.

At 9.15am on Monday (December 9), the 26-year-old was taken into custody in connection to the 50-year-old’s death five days earlier (December 4).

The father-of-two was walking to an insurance conference in New York City when he was gunned down in the streets outside of the Hilton Hotel, in Manhattan, with the suspect believed to have been ‘lying in wait’ for up to five minutes beforehand.

Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in a critical condition but was later pronounced dead upon arrival.

Brian Thompson died last week after being fatally shot in New York (UnitedHealth Group)

The suspect is believed to have cycled away on an electric bike into Central Park, where a bag was discarded with Monopoly money inside it as well as a jacket.

Cops finally caught up with the suspect as Mangione was sitting at a table in the rear of a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, documents state.

In his possession Mangione, whose last known residency is Honolulu, Hawaii, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police claim.

On Tuesday (December 10), the computer science graduate – who is understood to have come from a wealthy family in a Maryland community, and was raised in Towson, outside of Baltimore – entered a plea of not guilty.

On the same day, his defense attorney Tom Dickey, of Pennsylvania, spoke to the press on behalf of his client. Take a look:

“If the government charges a person with a crime they have to prove that, and they have to have some evidence,” he explained before appearing to make jest of the amount of evidence the FBI has on his client.

Looking around on the table in front of him he then begins to pretend to show ‘all the evidence’ authorities have that Mangione murdered Thompson, by opening up his palms to show that there is nothing.

“Here’s all the evidence I have right here, zoom in, zoom in – I suppose you want to? Nothing. I’ve seen nothing, I have nothing.”

He was then asked by a reporter ‘what charges is he pleading not guilty to’, to which he sharply responds: “Every charge… every charge.”

Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

It seems that his personality was enough to gain him plaudits online. Taking to the comment section on YouTube, one person wrote: “I like this attorney. He is a common sense, no nonsense attorney with a good sense of humor. Reminds of a mob boss attorney.

“I hope he can help this young man. He is correct that the NYPD has got to prove that he is the same guy that shot the CEO.”

While another added: “This attorney comes across as respectful, direct and to the point, confident in his legal knowledge and experience and relatable to a jury.”

The judge in the Luigi Mangione murder case is married to a former healthcare exec and allegedly owns ‘thousands in healthcare stock’, according to a recent report.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in what is alleged to have been a targeted attack by 26-year-old Mangione.

Thompson was shot twice in the back and in the leg as he left the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan earlier this month.

Officials later announced that a person of interest had been detained after being spotted in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a tip-off from an employee at the fast-food joint.

Mangione now faces multiple charges from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, including first- and second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and possessing a forged driver’s license.

Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The suspect pleaded not guilty on Monday (December 23).

The judge who is presiding over the pre-trial hearings for Mangione has faced criticism from some over recent days due to her apparent ties to the healthcare industry.

Journalist Ken Klippenstein states Magistrate Judge Katharine H. owns ‘thousands in healthcare stock’, including Pfizer.

The judge’s husband, Bret Parker, previously held the positions of vice president and assistant general counsel at Pfizer.

Judge park also has investments in other health companies, including the likes of Abbott Laboratories, Viatris, and Intellia Therapeutics.

On top of that, Klippenstein reports that Judge Parker owns between $50,000 and $100,000 in Pfizer stock.

“The judge’s ties to the healthcare business are a stark reminder of how pervasive the for-profit industry is in American life — a point made by Mangione himself,” Ken Klippenstein wrote in his report.

Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker is handing the pre-trial hearings (Southern District of New York)

Mangione now faces two trials for the crimes he has been accused of; one state case and one federal prosecution.

The two cases are set to run parallel to one another, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office confirming to CNN that it is coordinating with federal authorities for Mangione’s arraignment on the state charges.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement: “Today, the Justice Department has brought federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione. As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime. I am grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to locate and apprehend the defendant and to ensure that he answers for his alleged crime.”

An attorney has broken down the meaning of jury nullification as the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Johnson faces the possibility of a trial.

The arrest of Luigi Mangione

Mangione, from Maryland, is facing charges of murder, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon following the December 4 shooting of Johnson outside a hotel in Manhattan.

The 26-year-old was arrested by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday (December 9), and now faces the possibility of a trial depending on how he pleads to the charges.

Social media reaction to Mangione’s arrest

While the case has not yet reached a courtroom, social media users following the case have started discussing jury nullification and encouraging people to educate themselves about what it means.

“Hey do you guys randomly want to talk about jury nullification and what that is,” reads one tweet which was posted on the day of Mangione’s arrest.

Another reads: “Excellent time for the people of New York to learn about jury nullification.”

As conversation around the term continues, a lawyer and TikTok user named Andrew has taken to his platform to share an explanation.

What is jury nullification?

Andrew insisted his decision to share the explanation now came for ‘no reason whatsoever’, before he launched into the meaning of the term.

“Jury nullification is when a jury in a criminal trial gives a verdict of ‘not guilty’, even though they believe the defendant has broken the law and is guilty,” Andrew explained.

Social media users have encouraged people to look up jury nullification (X)

Why would jury nullification happen?

It might be hard to understand why a defendant would be acquitted if the jury knew they were responsible for a crime, but Andrew noted that it does happen.

Offering up some examples, he said: “Maybe they believe that the law the defendant has broken is unjust. Maybe they believe that punishment for breaking that law is too harsh.

“Or maybe they are seeking to condone a defendant’s actions even though those actions are criminal and have broken the law.”

Three important points about jury nullification

When it comes to jury nullification, Andrew said there are three factors to keep in mind.

1. A jury cannot be punished for giving an ‘incorrect’ verdict, even if that jury has intentionally given an ‘incorrect’ verdict
2. Under the rules of double jeopardy, a defendant cannot be tried twice for the same offence
3. Jury nullification exists in every jurisdiction in the United States, including New York City.

Andrew has been praised for sharing his explanation of the term, with one person writing: “I’m so glad we’re all on the same page here.”

Luigi Mangione, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s suspected shooter, has waived his right to appeal extradition and will travel to New York to face the charges against him.

The 26-year-old has left a courthouse in Pennsylvania having agreed to be take to face the various charges held against him, including one count of first-degree murder, and is expected to be flown into New York by law enforcement.

The University of Pennsylvania graduate was clean-shaven when he was pictured outside the court and said nothing to the press outside as he was placed into an unmarked cop car.

The preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges and consideration of a fugitive from justice complaint against Luigi Mangione may not take long.

Court officials said Mangione will attend the early morning proceedings at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg.

If a judge authorises his extradition, Mangione would then be brought to New York, where he could appear in state court for arraignment on Thursday afternoon or Friday.

The district attorney in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Pete Weeks, has said he was willing to put the Pennsylvania charges on hold while New York authorities prosecute Mangione for the December 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.

Brian Thompson died while walking to an insurance conference in New York (UnitedHealth Group)

Mangione faces charges of murder as an act of terrorism in New York.

Weeks said he would not talk about what might happen at the Thursday hearings or if evidence will be presented.

Mangione is accused of giving police a fake New Jersey identification and having a gun and silencer in his bag.

“Those are decisions that rest exclusively with Mr. Mangione and the rights afforded to him,” Weeks wrote in a news release sent out on Tuesday.

In a court filing last week, Mangione’s defence attorney Tom Dickey argued prosecutors had not shown there is sufficient evidence to hold Mangione, that he was in New York when Thompson was killed or that he is a fugitive from justice.

Mangione, 26, of Towson, Maryland, was arrested on December 9 when police were called to a McDonald’s restaurant on a commercial strip in Altoona, Pennsylvania after he was reported to match the description of Thompson’s killer.

Luigi Mangione was taken into custody in Pennsylvania earlier this month (Altoona Police Department)

Thompson was gunned down on the street as he walked to the hotel where his Minnesota-based company was holding an investor conference.

The shooting was captured on security video, but the suspect eluded police before Mangione was captured about 277 miles from New York.

Authorities say Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, a fake ID, and about 10,000 dollars in US and foreign currency.

His lawyer, Dickey, has questioned the evidence for the forgery charge and the legal basis for a gun charge.

He had previously indicated Mangione would fight extradition to New York while being held in a Pennsylvania state prison.

Mangione, an Ivy League computer science graduate from a prominent family, was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies ‘parasitic’ and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press last week.