The man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last December has now been granted access to a government-prepared laptop — to help prepare his defense in the high-profile murder case.
A federal judge signed off on the controversial decision this week, as 27-year-old Luigi Mangione awaits trial from behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to Fox News.
U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett issued the order Monday, requiring jail officials to allow Mangione use of the laptop seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
According to court documents, the laptop will be fully disconnected from the internet, printers, and wireless networks and can only be used to access case-related documents and government-provided video.
Mangione’s legal team — Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo, and Jacob Kaplan — had submitted a request Friday asking the court to authorize a personal computer for their client to “adequately prepare for trial and assist in his own defense.”
Mangione stands accused of ambushing Thompson on December 4, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel during UnitedHealthcare’s annual shareholder conference. Prosecutors allege the killing was calculated and ideologically motivated, citing a manifesto found on Mangione at the time of his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, days after the shooting.
They believe the murder was intended to “send a message to the healthcare insurance industry.”
If convicted, Mangione could face the death penalty.
The case has already drawn national headlines, given the chilling precision of the attack and its apparent symbolic motive. Granting a murder suspect access to digital tools — even a tightly restricted laptop — inside a federal detention center is sure to fuel further debate.
As the trial date looms, one of the most high-profile corporate assassinations in recent memory is heading toward a legal showdown that’s far from over.
