Witnesses against Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering a senior health insurence executive in New York City, have been subjected to intimidation and even death threats, according to prosecutors who have asked a judge to protect their identities.
The judge should shield the names of all “witnesses and the extent of their cooperation” against Mangione, who is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, according to Manhattan prosecutors.
Mangione’s conduct has “directly led to several instances of harassment, backlash and death threats against both individuals who have cooperated with the investigation as well as prospective witnesses”, prosecutors wrote in a court filing made public on Wednesday.
Mangione, 26, is accused of shooting Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk last December before fleeing and touching off a manhunt that ended with his arrest at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
He has become a folk hero to many who believe he expressed their rage at the healthcare system. A torrent of speculation, misinformation and threatening posts on social media amplified the legend.
“The acts of those who sympathise with defendant show that nobody associated with the case is off limits to acts intended to intimidate and coerce,” prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office wrote in the court filing.
Witnesses subject to intimidation include those who work at the McDonald’s, Altoona police and at UnitedHealthcare and other unidentified healthcare professionals.
Prosecutors said Mangione also continues to attract adoration from the public. Officers found “two personal heart-shaped notes” hidden with a new pair of socks given to him with clothing to wear at a court hearing last month.
One note, addressed to Mangione, said “know there are thousands of people wishing you luck”.
A fundraising page devoted to Mangione’s legal defence has raised more than $760,000 and includes dozens of messages of support.
When police arrested Mangione in December, they found a black pistol with a metal slide, a silencer, live ammunition, several laptops and a journal with handwritten notes, according to the filing. He also had Faraday bags to block signals from laptops and mobile phones, $7,808 in US currency, and Monopoly money.
The filing included the fullest accounting yet of the state’s evidence against Mangione. In addition to the other items, prosecutors revealed that he carried four zip ties, a white metal knife and a blue Polaroid camera, according to a 16-page list of items collected in the case.
His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a filing on Monday, she said that prosecutors have “consistently leaked” material from a “manifesto” that is being used to portray her client as a terrorist.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the New York charges, which carry a potential life sentence. He’s also facing federal charges, which carry the death penalty, enhanced by allegations that Mangione stalked his victim.
In their filing on Tuesday, prosecutors denied that they leaked evidence about the case.
Prosecutors also pushed back against Friedman Agnifilo’s request that Mangione be given a computer to review thousands of pages of evidence. They said “very few” inmates at the federal jail in Brooklyn where Mangione is being held can use laptops.
