Luigi Mangione appears in state court ahead of September trial
The accused CEO killer attended his last scheduled pre-trial conference.
Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione appeared in a packed Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday for the last scheduled pre-trial conference before jury selection begins next month in his state murder case.
The last two rows of the courtroom were filled with about 20 Mangione supporters, some wearing shirts declaring his innocence or calling for expanded courtroom access.
Tuesday's appearance could be the last time Mangione is seen in public before jury selection starts on Sept. 8.
Judge Gregory Carro began the hearing by shooting down the defense's claims that access to the trial was limited or that prosecutors were involved in dictating the coverage plans.
He said this was not the court's "first rodeo" when it comes to high-profile cases.
"There has never been a discussion or decision by this court to exclude the public for these proceedings, and quite the opposite is true," the judge said, adding that there will be an overflow room for the trial.
Carro noted that more than 80 media organizations have signaled plans to cover the trial.
"There will be less room for the public because of that, but there will be room for the public," he said.
Prosecutors allege Mangione gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an assassination-style killing on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in separate state and federal cases, and faces the possibility of life in prison if he's convicted in his state murder case.
Carro adjourned Tuesday's conference after about 20 minutes without publicly providing more details about the process for selecting jurors.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said his team would confer with prosecutors this week to iron out the questionnaire for jury selection.
"What I would ask you to do is get together and come up with questions you agree with and disagree with, and I will make a decision," Carro said, though he did not disclose the proposed questions or how he will instruct the jurors.